


Spiderman and the Defender of Olympus

by ChazMoon123



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Awkward Peter, Blushing Peter, Dorks in Love, F/M, First Kiss, Hurt Percy, Hurt Peter, Hurt/Comfort, I have no idea what I'm doing, M/M, Percy kicks ass, Peter is so precious, awkward family meetings, percy is a badass, smol peter, this is a mess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-11
Updated: 2018-04-22
Packaged: 2019-03-16 19:52:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 38,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13643298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChazMoon123/pseuds/ChazMoon123
Summary: Peter runs into a demigod during one of his patrols at night and can't help but be amazed by what he sees. The experience stirrs feelings and emotions inside him that he can't quite understand.





	1. Chapter 1

Peter was bored out of his mind.

His patrol was nearly over and he hadn't encountered any criminal, or just someone in the need of help from 'your friendly neighbourhood Spiderman'. Karen had warned him several times that his time was up soon, and he would have to turn around and swing back home to go to sleep before school.

The night air was cold and damp, even in his suit, and he found himself shivering whenever he wasn't moving, so he just kept going from building to building, doing flips, and freefalling from taller buildings just to swing back up in the last second. It was a dangerous game for anyone who would have seen him, but he just did it for his own amusement, in no fear of truly falling.

He felt great in his body, which couldn't have been said about him before the radioactive spider-bite. He was still the same nerdy, clumsy, socially awkward Peter Parker people loved to tease so much, but when he had the Spiderman suit on, he could be a completely different person. He felt more confident, but not because of the high-tech suit or his newfound strength and flexibility. It was a part of it of course, but it felt utterly amazing to wear the mask and let loose, say whatever he wanted, to anyone he wanted, without showing his face. In the suit people didn't see him as a kid, but as a hero.

At least he hoped they saw him as a hero. He still felt some uncertainity about his decision to turn down Tony's offer of becoming an Avenger, but for now he was content just helping the small people with their every-day lives. Being an Avenger would have put May and his friends in more possible danger, and he still had high school to finish afterall.

He was so lost in thought, he barely had time to register the tingling sensation in his spine and how the hair stood up all over his body, and jump out of the way, before something sharp went past inches away from his face and buried itself in the concrete wall he had just swung by.

Peter landed on the rooftop opposite the wall, panting, squinting his eyes at the object. He couldn't make out what it was, even though it wasn't that dark, and there was plenty of light coming from the streetlamps. He only saw that it was shiny and long, glowing faintly. A sharp inhuman cry from below made his head snap around in alarm.

Down in the alleyway a bizarre scene was playing out.

A man was standing there, at least 30 big, flying, somewhat human looking things surrounding the figure, flapping their feathery wings and screeching loudly. The man kept edging backwards as the creatures gave out sharp, ear splitting cries and kept leaping down at him, their sharp talons shining in the darkness. The man dodged each time, impossibly fast and jumped backwards.

Peter stood there frozen, mouth slightly agape. His heart leaped to his throat when the man suddenly turned around and started running in his direction, the creatures looking just as startled, no time to catch him, but following him once the shock was over. Peter moved back from the edge of the rooftop, squatting down cautiously.

It all happened so fast, Peter was left speechless; the man stopped a few feet below him, looked swiftly around, then seemed to spot what he was looking for, took a few steps back and broke into a run again. He jumped impossibly high, catching the railing of the fire escape and pulled himself up, repeating the movement until he reached the thing buried in the wall that almost got Peter 2 stories higher, and pulled it free, the faint glow of the object illuminating his face for a few seconds.

Peter's eyes grew wide, face going hot, as he realised it wasn't a man, but a teenage boy, probably only a few years older than him. He was good-looking too, dark hair and handsome face. His was face set in a stern expression, which made him look even more impressive. Before Peter could blink, the boy jumped off of the railing and rolled to his feet, moving as easily as people do while walking.

He came face to face with the creatures again, but this time when they attacked him he was ready to fight back, as Peter only now saw that the glowing object was in fact a sword. The creatures leaped, and the boy ducked and rolled, bringing his sword down on the creatures he could reach, which evaporated the moment the sword cut through them with a startled screetch, dissolving into a powdery substance Peter couldn't identify from so far. The boy moved like the warriors you see in movies, slashing through the creatures with profession, twirling his sword in his hand and jumping back when a talon came too close.

Peter was so awestruck, he could hardly breathe. He thought watching the Avengers fight was something so amazing, something so unbelievable he would never get out of his head as long as he lived, but now that all seemed like a show of lightning and lasers and bullets compared to the deadly dance he was seeing. Because it looked a lot like dancing. Not like hip hop or ballet, mind you, but a kind of dance where you are paired up with someone, like salsa or rumba. Only the man here led his partners towards their deaths. Yes, Peter called him a man in his head by then, even though he knew it was a teenage boy.

"Karen...are you recording this?" Peter asked breathlessly, barely a whisper. He felt his nerves buzz as he watched the figure jump from opponent to opponent.

"Of course. I record everything you see, Peter." came the AI's clear voice from inside his mask.

The fight was nearly over, Peter could see that. There were barely a few creatures left, and judging by their movements, they seemed very discouraged to attack. The man straightened his back and stepped up to them in his full height.

"Is that it? You are not so brave without your buddies, huh? You should have thought about that before you attacked me." the teenager sounded a lot like a man, voice dark and dangerous, making Peter's spine tingle and breath hitch, his sensitive senses going crazy for reasons he wasn't familiar with.

"Scatter away! Leave me alone if you know what's good for you!" Peter gasped quietly, the mercy shown to the ruthless creatures completely unexpected after seeing such a fight play out. The creatures seemed to recoil at that, but recovered quickly and bared their talons, jumping to attack again.

The man had his sword ready, easily avoiding the creatures' attacks and sliced them to nothing in less than a minute, the creatures obviously aware that they weren't going to win but too stubborn to give up. Peter unconsciously rose from his crunching position, mouth still agape. His body went stiff when the man in the alley suddenly turned around in his direction.

"Who's there? Come down and fight, or leave me alone!" he shouted. Peter took a deep breath and started to climb down the side of the building he was standing on, jumping from the last few feet, the stranger approaching cautiously and meeting him once he was down on the ground.

"Oh. It's you." the man said, letting his sword relax against his side as he recognised the Spiderman suit. Peter frowned, kind of hurt at the dismissive tone of the statement.

"Y-Yeah. Hi. I'm Spiderman." Peter said in his usual breathless voice, eyeing the sword with worried glances. The stranger must have noticed, because he followed his gaze to the sword in his hand.

"Sorry about that. I was just alarmed." he said apologetically, and with a quick motion of his hand the sword suddenly shifted into a ballpoint pen he pocketed casually. Peter couldn't believe his eyes. That must have been some serious tech.

"I-It-s okay. I'm sorry I didn't help you out." Peter stammered ashamed, remembering how he had just stood there.

"Nah, it's fine. You couldn't have done anything. Plus, it was kind of my business. They were after me."

"What were they?" Pete looked over the man's shoulder, where the creatures were hovering just minutes ago, no bodies or sign of fight at all. It was kind of disarming.

"Harpies. Nasty ones at that." he held up his left arm, where a clean cut was softly bleeding, his faded orange hoodie torn along the line of the cut. Peter gasped, the sight of blood always made him sick, even more when it wasn't his own blood. "It's okay. I've had worse." he chuckled softly at Peter's reaction.

"May I ask your name?" Peter asked quietly, taking in the features of the hero in front of him. He looked even more handsome up close, the lamps now perfectly illuminating his features. His jet black sideswept hair and sparkling green eyes that seemed to change to a more bluish green for a few moments, his tanned skin that was covered in small pink cuts. He looked like a typical troublemaker, though his eyes crinkled like he was smiling a lot, which gave his face a friendlier look. He was tall, lean, but muscular under the hoodie, which had 'Camp Half-Blood' written on it with a strange logo, though the letters were a bit faint. He was way out of Peter Parker's league, that was for sure.

The man seemed to consider this with a tilt of his head, humming thoughtfully, until he made up his mind and stuck out his right hand for Peter. "Perseus Jackson, but call me Percy." he said as Peter shook his hand, smiling gently. "Nice to meet you. I'm guessing you won't tell me your name." he said with a playful smirk.

"S-Sorry." Peter felt his face get hot again. The smirk made Percy incredibly handsome. He was grateful then that he had the mask to hide his embarrassment.

"I get it. No need to apologize." Percy put his hands into the pockets of his hoodie.

"You called them harpies...but they are mythological creatures. Greek ones." Peter said curiously. It bugged him a lot. Were they aliens too or something?

"That's right. Me and my friends defeated their leader a few months back, and now they either wander around aimlessly or try to hunt us down. Stupid creatures." Percy shook his head wearily. Peter knitted his eyebrows together, confused how could someone talk about made up creatures so seriously like they were real. But he guessed there were more things he didn't understand than he would have thought, and that there probably was an explanation. Maybe he was talking about the alien attack? But the aliens didn't dissolve when they were killed. Peter then realised how rude he was being, holding Percy up when he was clearly injured and was covered in what looked like ash or dust. He guessed that was what the harpies dissolved into. It was getting more and more curious.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't be interrogating you. You must be tired and you are hurt too. You must have been on your way home. I shouldn't hold you up in the middle of a dark sketchy alley--" Peter babbled on, stopping himself with sinking his teeth into his lower lip when Percy started chuckling amused.

"It's okay. I'm a bit tired, but I'll be fine. It's true though that I should be getting home." he smiled good naturedly "See you around?" he asked as he walked past Peter.

"Y-Yeah. Sure." Peter said breathlessly, spinning around to watch him leave the alley. "I hope so." he said under his breath when the man was out of sight. He felt so puzzled by what he had just seen. He shook his head, a shiver making its way up his body, the cold air only now having its effects on him again. He felt so hot when he watched Percy, he completely forgot how cold it actually was. He decided to stop standing around and started to make his way in the direction of his home, swinging less enthusiastically than he did before, mind racing about what just happened in that alleyway. He landed softly on the roof of his apartment, climbing quietly down the side to his window. He slid it up as soundlessly as possible and climbed inside, pushing the window closed behind himself, listening for a few seconds if May was awake by any chance. Once he knew the coast was clear he quickly stripped of his suit and put on his sleeping clothes. He was about to get into bed, but then he thought about Percy again, and he sat in front of his desk instead, pulling his laptop open and grabbed his mask and put it on hastily.

"Karen, could you replay for me what you recorded in the alley?"

"One second." Karen skipped through the day's footage to the scene in the alley. It was more surreal seeing it the second time, but just as breathtaking. Peter bit his lower lip when it came to the part when Percy retrieved his sword. His senses kept tingling and buzzing and made his skin hot. He had to pull off the mask to breathe properly.

"Are you okay, Peter?" If Peter didn't know better, he would have thought he heard concern in the AI's voice.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Thanks Karen." he set down his mask and pulled his laptop closer instead. He typed in 'harpies' in the search bar. He was right before. Harpies were creatures from Greek mythology afterall. Peter was more confused than ever. If the creatures in the alley weren't aliens, then what were they? They couldn't have been actual harpies. They weren't real, were they? He glanced at the time, and groaned into his hands. He knew he should have been going to sleep, but his mind was racing and his curiousity was louder than his body's demand of sleep. He knew he was going to regret it, but he kept reading, looking up all kinds of stuff about ancient Greek culture and deities. It was very interesting. Peter had been considered a nerd since he started going to school, so it was no surprise that he found Greek deities and mythologies a fascinating read, though he was mortified by some of the things the gods did in the stories he read. He read and read until his eyes were so sore he couldn't keep either of them open for long, and he felt so exhausted he could faint any moment. At some point he dozed off against his computer, snoring peacefully with the picture of a Poseidon illustration open in front of him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I saw that there wasn't really any fanfic around this ship so I took it up on myself to write this silly thing :D I hope you enjoyed it somewhat. Let me know if you'd like to read more.
> 
> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated .w.


	2. Chapter 2

May had to shake him awake the next morning, and even then he almost fell back asleep, but in the end he got up with great difficulties. He took a quick shower, wincing as the cold water hit skin, no time to wait for it to get warm. It helped him wake up mentally a bit and he felt less sleepy, but it was still awfully cold on his sensitive skin. He ate breakfast quickly and kissed May goodbye before he left for school. He rubbed his eyes and yawned as he shuffled along the busy crowd on the street. He really regretted staying up so late, but now he knew what harpies were. Though, it didn't help him understand what had happened in the alley. As he neared the bus stop he felt a prickling sensation on the back of his neck, but he had no idea what it meant and he didn't care much either. He regretted it, because in the next moment he walked straight into something big and sturdy. He almost fell back but a pair of hands caught him just in time. This made his eyes open wide and look up at the stranger to apologise. His breath hitched as he noticed it was the teenager from the previous night.

"Percy!" he said breathlessly, forgetting that he wasn't supposed to know his name at all. Percy lifted a curious eyebrow, registering how familiar the boy's voice sounded.

"Do I know you?" Percy eyed Peter, registering how cute he looked, baby face flushed, and big bright doe eyes wide, brows furrowed.

"N-No. I don't thinks so." Peter stammered.

"Hmm I guess not." Percy let go of Peter gently. "I would remember a cute face like yours." he smirked, lening closer, making Peter hot in the face.

"W-What?" Peter squaked.

"I'm just messing with ya." Percy chuckled.

"How do you know my name? I don't remember you at all." he asked more gently.

"Uh...well..." Peter froze up completely, no clue what he should tell Percy. He wet his lips, eyes darting around, wrecking his brain.

"At least tell me your name. Might trigger my memory." Percy shrugged.

"Peter. Peter Parker."

"Huh...no...Never heard of it. Are you a demigod by any chance?"

"Demigod? What?" Peter frowned in confusion. Percy shook his head.

"Nevermind. Are you okay? You seemed pretty out of it." Percy asked with a kind smile. It made Peter flush pink.

"I-I'm fine. Really. I should have looked where I was going. Sorry." Peter babbled embarrassed.

"No harm done." Percy grinned, reminding Peter of the events of last night. Suddenly he wanted nothing more than get away from there. It would do him no good if Percy figured out his identity.

"I gotta go. Late for school." Peter said hastily, moving around Percy as fast as he could, but a hand grabbing his wrist stopped him.

"Wait! You still haven't told me how you knew my name."

"I...I can't tell you! Sorry!" Peter pulled his arm free and dashed for the bus stop, where his bus was already standing. He jumped on just before the driver closed the door, sighing in relief when he saw that Percy hadn't followed him. He felt guilty for running away like that, but it was for the best. At least that was what he told himself. He shook his head and plugged in his earphones instead, the noise of the world fading away as his playlist started playing, looking through the window as the bus sped along the streets of New York.

Percy looked even more handsome in daylight, and that made Peter frown hard. It was really unfair. When he put his hands on Peter's arms to steady him, it made his skin prickle and warm, and the hair on his body stand. It wasn't unpleasant, just very weird and confusing. Peter had no idea what those things meant. He was shaken from his thoughts when the bus stopped and it was time for him to get off. He helped down an old lady then ran until he reached the school, almost late for his first class. Fortunately noone was there to see him jump over the gate and sprint to the school entrance. The universe must have felt like it was owing him something, because the teacher was late and Peter arrived before him. He slid into the seat next to Ned breathlessly and thanked the universe for that one.

"Dude. You are late again." Ned frowned disapprovingly.

"Yeah...sorry. I was up late last night." Peter sighed, pulling out his notebook as the teacher finally entered the classroom.

"Oh...so you were out last night. Did something interesting happen?" Ned asked more enthusiastically. Peter bit into his lower lip anxiously. Was he supposed to talk to anyone about what he saw? He didn't exactly have the oppurtunity to ask Percy about it. And he didn't seem bothered by the fact that Peter had seen what he could do, nor did he forbid him to speak to anyone about it. So he guessed it was okay to tell Ned at the very least. He was his best friend afterall, and one of the very few people who knew about his secret hero identity.

"I'll tell you at my place." Peter promised, turning back to listen to the class. Ned seemed excited to hear his story all day, begging him to at least give some hints, but Peter was adamant about not discussing it until the end of the school day, in the safety of his room. He wanted to show Ned the footage too anyway so it had to wait until then.

Ned was practically buzzing with excitement by the time school was over and they had reached Peter's apartment.

"I'm home May! Ned is here too! We're gonna be in my room!" Peter called out from the entrance, shrugging out of his jacket.

"Hello Mrs Parker!" Ned chirped.

"Are you staying for dinner, Ned?" they heard May call back from the kitchen. Peter silently asked Ned, who shrugged.

"Yes! If it isn't too much trouble!"

"Dinner for three it is!" they grinned and made their way to Peter's room, pulling the door shut behind them. Peter twisted the lock he had installed for safety measures, and Ned plopped down on his bed, bouncing on the mattress slightly as Peter dug out his suit from his backpack and picked up his laptop from his desk. He sat next to Ned and handed him the mask first, instructing Karen to find the footage he had watched.

"Watch this first, and then I'll explain." Ned nodded behind the mask, and Karen rolled the footage.  
Ned gasped and definitely seemed excited as he watched the footage, but he didn't seem nearly as affected as Peter had felt. That worried him a bit, but before he knew it Ned was done with watching the footage.

"Woah. This guy is crazy, but awesome!" Ned handed Peter the mask. "Dude, your vitals were off the chart. Did you get injured beforehand or something?" he asked on a more worried note.

"No. I was just fine. Maybe it's a glitch or something." Peter laughed nervously. Karen thankfully didn't say anything, but Ned didn't look convinced either way.

"So what do you know about this guy?"

"Not much. I know his name is Perseus Jackson, but I guess he prefers Percy. He looks to be about 18 years old or so. He probably lives here in New York. Though, weirdly enough, as far as I could research, he has no Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or any other social media account. Did you see his hoodie?" Ned nodded. "It had some faded writing on it and a weird logo of some sort, so I had Karen search through the footage and find the clearest image she could get of the writing and the logo." he pulled up his laptop and showed Ned the clearest image.

"Camp Half-Blood?" Ned frowned "Is that a pegasus in the middle?" he pointed at the figure.

"Yeah. Weird, right? I looked it up. Nothing. Not on the logo, or the name. There is no camp like that anywhere on the internet." Peter sighed. "It's as if he doesn't exist at all. But he does. You saw the footage." he paused, chewing on his lower lip. "His name too. Who names their children Perseus? Or is that a made up name?" he glanced at his friend despeartely.

"I don't think so. He did ask you to call him 'Percy'. Why would he do that if it wasn't his real name?"

"I don't know. Maybe he wanted to make me think it was his real name." Peter kept looking at the face of the hero. He didn't know why it was so important to know more about him, but he just wanted to. He had no good explanation.

"You are not crushing on this guy, are you?" Ned smiled knowingly. Peter turned bright red, sputtering embarrassed.

"N-No! Dude! W-Why would you think that?!" he punched Ned lightly on the shoulder with a nervous laugh.

"He's good looking. And he looks like a hero. Like you. And you seem way too interested in him. I wouldn't be surprised if you had a crush on him already." Ned shrugged easily.

"W-Well...It doesn't matter." Peter shook his head "I don't know anything about him, and he doesn't know anything about me. I looked up those 'harpies' he mentioned." he pulled the laptop back in his lap.

"Greek mythology, right?" Ned looked over his shoulder at the screen.

"Yes. They looked a lot like these pictures." he showed Ned a few illustrations of the half bird half women creatures. "But they looked real and sounded real. And they wounded him." Peter bit his lip. "Am I going crazy?"

"Nah man. I saw it too. You are not going crazy. Is that all you know about him?" he patted Peter's shoulder sympathetically.

"He did ask me if I was a 'demigod'." Peter frowned.

"Demigod? Why would he ask you that?"

"Oh. I forgot to tell you. I ran into him this morning. I wasn't looking where I was going and I bumped into him. I forgot that he didn't know me, only Spiderman, and blurted out his name by mistake." Peter said, rather ashamed of his carelessness.

"You ran into him of all people?" Ned asked wide eyed "That sounds creepy."

"I know. And then he asked me if he knew me. And then if I was a 'demigod'." Peter shook his head.

"What's a demigod anyway?"

"I looked that up too. Appearantly Olympian gods, back in the day, used to come down to Earth from Olympus to have affairs with mortal people. The children born from these affairs had both godly and mortal blood in them, so they were called demigods or half-bloods." Peter looked through the article on his laptop screen.

"Half-bloods? Then there is a whole camp of them somewhere?" Ned asked exactly what Peter had been wondering about himself.

"I don't know...Seems a bit farfetched, doesn't it? Maybe we shouldn't get it literally. Maybe it's metamorphical or just a name. Could be a Greek themed camp and nothing more to it."

"Maybe. But, I mean, there is Thor and the Asgardians." Ned pointed out.

"Yeah, but they are more like aliens than actual gods." Peter argued.

"Maybe real gods exist. You never know. Look at all those stories. Somebody made them up with a clear image of them in their head. They are slightly different from each other in different cultures, but the basics are the same." Ned shrugged. Peter had to admit that he had a point there. Plus he had seen some pretty crazy stuff since he got his powers. He had to keep his mind open.

"You are right. Maybe there is some truth to it. Still, I would prefer to see it for myself."

"You might run into him again." Ned offered, though he didn't think there was a high chance to that.

"Yeah right. How possible is that?" Peter rolled his eyes.

"Boys! Dinner's ready!" they heard May call for them. Peter's stomach grumbled in response, making both of them laugh.

"Let's go. This can wait." Peter patted Ned's shoulder and the two of them left his room to have dinner. Ned left shortly after they finished eating and thanked May for the meal. He made Peter promise that he would tell him if anything new came up with this mysterious 'Percy Jackson', admitting that he found the case rather curious.

Peter spent some time writing his homework after that, but he had a hard time concentrating. He wondered whether he should talk to Tony about what he had seen. He pulled out his phone and stared at the number Tony had given him in case he needed to talk to him. He didn't want to be the annoying kid who sent hundreds of texts to Happy, or the paranoid kid who saw things that weren't there. He knew Tony would never turn him down carelessly, especially after what happened with the Vulture, but still. Peter wanted Tony to take him seriously.

He sighed and dropped his phone on his desk, lying on his crossed arms, staring at the screen where he had a picture of Percy pulled up, taken out of the footage by Karen. He studied the features of the dark haired teen, looking so much like a Greek hero from the stories he read. His skin prickled just by thinking about the scene in the alley, and sighed as the nerves in his fingertips buzzed.

What was this man doing to him? He wondered, a wave of warmth reaching his loins. He groaned and stood from his chair, digging around in his backpack for the Spiderman suit. He quickly stripped from his clothes, ignoring his awkward boner, and struggled into the suit, pulling a dark hoodie over it. He told May he was going to sleep and soundlessly climbed out of his window, swinging through New York happily. The cold air helped somewhat to calm his nerves, but he still felt flushed. He stopped at a donut shop and bought a chocolate and strawberry flavoured one, taking seat on top of a brick building in Manhattan, watching the colourful neon lights, listening to the sirens in the distance. He pulled the mask from his mouth and bit into the strawberry flavoured one, munching contently.

"Hey." Peter almost jumped out of his skin when somebody called from behind him. He jumped to his feet, still chewing on the donut. His eyes grew comically wide behind his mask, seeing the man who greeted him.

"I was just thinking about you." Perseus Jackson smirked at him, wearing torn jeans and a purple shirt with 'SPQR' written on it in faded lettering. Peter's voice caught in his throat and he almost choked on the donut in his mouth, coughing wildly into his fist. Percy patted his back amused as Peter got his breathing under control.

"T-Thanks." Peter said embarrassed, blinking away the tears in his eyes and pulled the mask back over his mouth.

"No problem. Are you okay?" Percy chuckled.

"Y-Yeah. You just startled me. Have you followed me here?" Peter asked more suspiciously. He really knew nothing of Percy.

"I live in this building." Percy said with a raised eyebrow "Why would I stalk you?"

"O-Oh. Sorry." Peter flushed red "I just...nevermind." Percy found it strange, but shrugged and sat next to the spot Peter preoccupied before. Peter sat cautiously next to him, swinging his feet over the side of the building. He took a bitter look at the chocolate donut, in no mood to eat another one.

"Would you like to eat it?" he held it out for Percy.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I don't want it." Peter said softly.

"Thank you!" Percy accepted it happily, biting into the treat with a moan that shouldn't have sounded as scandalous as Peter found it, his skin flushing under the suit.

"N-No problem." Peter shifted awkwardly in his seat. He waited patiently until Percy ate the donut, which wasn't long, as he wolfed the whole thing down in a few seconds.

"So..." Percy wiped his mouth with the back of his hand "You saw me killing those harpies." he turned to look at Peter. "You must be curious."

"Yes." Peter bit his lip "Were those real?"

"Of course they were real. What else would they have been?" Percy chuckled softly. Peter only shrugged.

"I read into Greek mythology...it sounds real messed up." Peter said quite honestly.

"You are not wrong about that." Percy laughed.

"Does that mean that it's all true?" Peter asked curiously. It was bugging him a lot, and he wanted to know the truth.

"Not everything you can read online and in books. I mean...the basis is mostly accurate, but the details can be different sometimes." Percy shrugged.

"What are you then?" Peter asked with a tilt of his head.

"A demigod. Half mortal, half Greek god. I'm a son of Poseidon." Percy said like he was talking about the weather. It was really bizarre.

"So...you are like Aquaman?" Peter grinned.

"Something like that." Percy laughed good naturedly "I can breath under water and control water to some extent. Water also heals me and I can talk to marine animals and horses. Demigods in general are stronger than normal mortals. Though, most of us are born with ADHD and dyslexia, which is annoying. Troubled children." he shrugged again.

"Woah...you are like a superhero then." Peter wondered out loud. Something changed in Percy's expression then, his face seeming more sad than before.

"I'm no hero...not really..." he cleared his throat "What about you? What's your story?"

"Ah...well..." Peter bit his lower lip anxiously, not sure whether he should tell Percy. Though, Percy was honest with him, and the right thing would be to do the same. So he told Percy how he became Spiderman, the whole ordeal with the Avengers and the incident with the Vulture. It felt kind of good to get it off his chest. Ned was a great friend, but he hadn't told all this even to him.

Percy smiled sadly and shook his head "You are a strong and very persistent kid. I admire your bravery."

Peter blinked surprised, not what he would have expected to hear. In a way, he was kind of relieved, because Percy didn't say stuff like 'That's tough man.' or 'I'm sorry.' or something like that. Then again, if Percy was who he said he was, he probably knew a lot more about losses than him. The man was still an enigma to him for the most part.

Peter found himself smiling and nodded soflty. "Thanks." he said quietly.

"It's getting late. I better go inside." Percy stood with a sigh.

"Oh! Right." Peter saw shocked that it was almost midnight and jumped to his feet. He flushed in ambarrassment, realising how much time he had spent just talking with Percy and venting about his problems. "S-Sorry. I didn't mean to bore you with my problems." he said anxiously.

"It's okay. I wasn't bored. You have a lot of serious stuff going on. If you ever need someone to talk to, you can find me here." Percy shrugged. "Do you have a phone?"

"Uh...yes." Peter pulled out his phone from the pocket inside his suit and handed it to Percy.

"Here..." Percy said as he typed on Peter's phone. "Whenever you are here, give me a call and I'll come up." he smiled, handing the phone back.

"T-Thank you." Peter stammered, heart fluttering. It was stupid, he knew, to develop feelings for someone like Percy, but he couldn't help it. Nobody had ever understood and listened to him like Percy. He was still curious about a lot of things, like the camp he and Ned talked about, and if there were more demigods like Percy, but he understood that it wasn't the time for that.

"See you around, Spiderman." Percy winked playfully.

"Y-Yeah. Good night." Peter stuttered and shot out a web, pulling himself away from Percy into the air before he could embarrass himself.

His heart was still pounding when he reached his window and carefully pushed it open. He climbed in and quickly got rid of his suit and slipped into his sleeping clothes. He fell asleep feeling more content than he did for a long time, dreaming of the sea and a man with dark sideswept hair and sparkling green eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you go. Another chapter of my weird fantasies :D  
> Hope you enjoyed it somewhat, though I know my writing is well below average. Let me know if you would like to read more.  
> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated :3


	3. Chapter 3

Peter told Ned the news the next day after school as they were doing their chemistry homework. He had tons of questions as well, though Peter couldn't answer any of them.

"You have to ask him!" Ned exclaimed excitedly.

"I don't know...I don't want to seem pushy. And you should have seen his face. He looked so haunted. I don't want to make him feel uncomfortable." Peter said anxiously.

"Aww you sound like a lovesick puppy." Ned nudged him playfully. Peter snorted and rolled his eyes at his antics. "But I guess you are right. If he is what he claims to be, he must have been through serious things as well. He will probably open up to you when he is ready." Ned said on a more serious note.

"Probably..." Peter yawned and stretched, glancing at the clock. "Huh. It's eight already. I guess I better suit up soon." Peter mused lazily.

"Then I better head home huh?" Ned gathered his things.

"Need an escort to the bus stop? It's pretty dark outside." Peter offered as he pulled his suit from his backpack.

"If you don't mind." Ned smiled nervously. He didn't like to walk around at night alone. Having Spiderman look out for him definitely made him feel better.

"Alright. I'll walk you out and then we can meet outside." Ned nodded and followed Peter out of his room.

"Bye Mrs Parker!" he called back over his shoulder as he walked out the front door.

"Take care on your way home Ned!"

"See you outside." Peter grinned and shut the door, then dashed for his room and quickly stripped to pull on his suit. He told May he was going to bed early before he left through the window, climbing down the side of the building to meet Ned at the front.

"I will never get used to seeing you like this." Ned smiled as they started walking in the direction of the bus stop.

"Mmm...It is kind of strange for me too. I spent nearly six months in my lame old 'suit', so it's an upgrade, obviously, but I still haven't figured out everything this suit can do. Karen is awesome, and it's cool to have someone to talk to when I'm on patrol. Though, sometimes I miss the old clothes I used to wear to go out as Spiderman. Everything was much simpler back then." Peter rambled on unconsciously. He sighed and shook his head "Sorry bud. I didn't mean to vent again."

"It's okay Pete. I don't mind. I'm your friend, and I want to support you. I know there are a lot of things on your mind and it's bad to keep everything bottled up. You can always talk to me, you know that right?" he placed a reassuring hand on Peter's shoulder, making him stop in his track.

Peter felt so grateful for his friend he felt like crying, but he only smiled behind his mask and patted Ned's hand. "I know man. And I'm grateful. You are the best." Ned nodded and smiled.

They fell back on track, chatting about their classes the next day until they reached the bus stop, where they parted ways. Peter wrapped Ned in a hug and they bid each other good night with their best friend handshake, right when Ned's bus arrived. He did a circle around the block and then he went in no particular direction, checking the corners and streets he knew were most criminally active and the stores he knew were more frequently robbed. For an hour nothing really happened, but it was fine. The stretch of his muscles felt really good and the night wasn't as chilly as before so it was rather pleasant to move around. He landed on top of a building, panting softly, listening. The streets of New York were relatively quiet that night, more empty than usual. He plopped down on the spot, sighing as he watched the commercials playing in the window of a TV and electronics store. He thought about sending Percy a text, curious to find out more about him, as now Spiderman wasn't really needed anywhere and he was in Manhattan anyway. He was about to pull out his phone when he heard shouting from down below.

"Karen? What was that? Can you show me any survaillance footage?" Peter jumped to his feet.

"Of course Peter. One second." Karen answered pleasantly, pulling up several windows of footage. One showed the store Peter had been watching, the other showed a pharmacy and a furniture shop, and the last one showed a small 24/7 convenience store, three masked men holding guns to the shop manager's head and threatening the customers. Peter pushed his lips in a thin line and checked his web shooters.

"Karen, call the police immediately, and an ambulance just in case. I'm going in." Peter said as he shot out a web and jumped on top of the convenience store, landing softly and soundlessly. He cautiously climbed down the side, carefully avoiding the windows. The door of the store was left open, probably left like that for an easy escape route. The shop manager was emptying the cash machine with shaky hands as the masked man kept pointing the gun at his head, barking for him to hurry up, while the other two thugs were commanding the customers to stand in a line and hand over their wallets and money. An old lady, a younger woman and her friend, two young men, and a very familiar figure. Peter's eyes grew wide as he recognised Percy in his orange hoodie, standing still with a grim expression.

That was it. Peter was oficially furious.

He climbed right above the open door and stuck a web string to the wall, leaning back on it as far as he thought was appropriate. He tested his balance and jumped down, swinging in through the open door and landing on the floor inside the the shop. The hostages gasped and the masked men seemed to be frozen on the spot for a second.

"Man, did you really have to go this far? Have your mother not thaught you that holding guns at people and robbing stores is a no-no?" Peter shook his head. The man with the money in hand seemed to snap from his daze and pointed his gun at him, shouting at his partners to shoot as well, but Peter was quicker and webbed it out of his hand, and then shot webs at him until he was stuck to the wall. His companions turned their weapons at him as well, thankfully forgetting about the hostages. Peter ducked behind a shelf between the aisles as the remaining robbers started shooting at him. From the mirror in the top corner of the shop Peter saw that Percy ushered the customers carefully behind the front desk with the shop manager, out of harm's way. Peter sighed relieved, smirking when he heard the guns clicking empty. He calmed his breathing before jumping on top of the shelf he was standing behind, unarming one robber and dodging the second one's flying bullets when he reloaded, then unarming that one as well, shooting a web at his face, the man toppling backwards with a grunt. He webbed the two men together, then yanked the third one off the wall and webbed him to his partners in a bundle.

The scared customers and shop manager finally emerged from behind the front desk with Percy in tow and thanked him for his help. Peter laughed nervously and told them that it was nothing really and that he was happy to help. Peter stayed to guard the robbers until the police arrived a few minutes later. The officers thanked him for his assistance and told him that he could leave.

Peter was about to do just that when he caught Percy's eyes, currently talking to an officer, getting a statement about the attempted robbery. Peter nodded, understanding that Percy wanted to speak to him. He left the store and climbed to the top of the building, waiting patiently for Percy to leave the shop. When he finally did, he walked to the alley next to the store and climbed up the fire escape to where Peter was sitting.

"Hey. Are you okay?" Peter instantly sprang to his feet, checking Percy for any external injuries. He felt more relaxed when he couldn't see any.

"I'm okay. Thank you." Percy smiled gently "You were really brave back there. You took care of those guys pretty impressively."

"I-It really wasn't that impressive." Peter felt his cheeks heat up "W-What were you doing in there so late anyway?" he asked curiously.

"Just wanted to buy some milk and blue food colouring for mom." Percy shrugged. Percy frowned in confusion. Blue food colouring?

"Alright...well, it's weird that I ran into you here. I was just about to send you a text." Peter admitted sheepishly.

"Really?" Percy grinned "Strange. But, now I'm here. Wanna go for a hot chocolate or something?"

"That would be nice." Peter smiled shyly.

"There is a coffee shop around the corner that's still open. Come on." Percy grinned, pushing himself over the side of the building carelessly, rolling to his feet on the ground below. Peter's breath got caught in his throat, following the demigod down with loudly pounding heart.

He was right. Percy was absolutely out of his league in every aspect.

Percy bought them both a cup of hot chocolate and together they walked in the direction of Percy's home, nursing their cups in their hands. The cup was warm and the chocolate smelled really nice. Peter smiled, his mask rolled up to provide free acess to his mouth, occasionally sipping his hot drink, stealing glances at Percy from time to time.

"So..."

"Yes?" Percy hummed between sips.

"Would it be okay to ask you about Camp Half-Blood?" Peter said carefully.

"Sure. I guess why not. What would you like to know?" Percy turned to look at him as they walked.

"What is it exactly?"

"Well...it is kind of like a summer camp in many regards. It's a place where demigods like me find safety. It's hidden from mortals and has a protective border around it to prevent monsters from getting in." Percy explained that demigods have a distinctive smell monsters pick up on easily, and that around the age of 11 demigods are generally brought to Camp Half-Blood where they can live safely, even train to fight if they want. He also told Peter he teaches swordsplay.

"So there is a whole camp of demigods?" Peter asked in awe. So it was true afterall. He didn't expect it to be, but it sounded so interesting.

"There is also camp for Roman demigods called Camp Jupiter, but it works much differently than Camp Half-Blood."

"Huh...so that means there are all kinds of demigods?" Peter guessed. Percy nodded.

"The big three (Zeus, Poseidon and Hades) don't have many children, but the other Olympian and Roman gods, except Artemis and Hera, all have children with different abilities. We divide the camp into cabins based on that." Peter just stared in wonder, listening to Percy explain the different cabins and camp activities. It was all so fascinating, very strange and fictional like. But as strange as it sounded, Percy spoke so fondly and convincingly of the place and some of the campers' pranks and stories, Peter had no chance but to believe every word. Before they could realise, they were already at Percy's house, their conversation cut short.

"Thank you, again, for stepping in at the robbery." Percy smiled as they reached the front door of the brick building he lived in.

"No problem. It's what I do." Peter rubbed his neck shyly.

"Still, not many people would be capable of doing what you do, even if they had your abilities. That's very admirable." Peter was very much grateful for his mask then, Percy's compliments making him utterly flustered, not for the first time either.

"T-Thank you." he stammered.

"I wish you would let me see the person behind the Spiderman suit though." Percy stared right into his eyes, seagreen orbs burning themselves into Peter's vision. There was something magical about them Peter couldn't explain.

He didn't know what to say to that though. He liked Percy a lot. He was very easy-going and funny, and obviously a good person, but Peter felt anxious to reveal his identity to anyone in general. It only brought misery to the people he loved and cared for.

"It's okay. Maybe one day you will be comfortable with that." Percy patted his shoulder. Peter nodded weakly, lower lip caught between his teeth.

"It's not that I don't trust you...I just...can't." Peter said awkwardly. He really wanted to be able to talk to Percy like a normal person, without the mask and not just on the street or on top of a building at night, he just couldn't. Not yet.

"Don't worry about it. I would just have liked to tie a face to the personality." Percy shrugged "Would you want to hang out tomorrow?"

"A-Are you sure? I mean...I would like that, but I'm sure you could find a better use of your time." Peter babbled, stumbling over his words, flustered.

"I'm sure. I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to." Percy chuckled amused, Peter's nervousness and awkwardness very endearing to him. He wondered how young Peter exactly was. His voice sounded very young, and he was much shorter than Percy, but that wasn't really proof of anything. Also, the body outlined under the suit definitely didn't look childish.

"O-Okay then. See you tomorrow." Peter bid Percy goodbye nervously in front of the apartment. He did a quick scan of that area of the city for people in need of any help, but everything was surprisingly peaceful, so he made his way home instead. Ned will be so excited to hear what he had learned today, he thought as he slipped under the covers of his bed.

 ~~~~

"No way man! So we were right! It is a camp full of demigods! And there is another one too!" Ned exclaimed, voice full of wonder as he and Peter made their way to History class. Peter told him the whole story of the attempted robbery and how he came across Percy there, and everything he had learned from the demigod.

"I know! It's crazy, isn't it?"

"Mmm...but...then he asked you to hang out with him right?" Ned smirked. Peter lifted a suspicious eyebrow at the sudden change in interest.

"Yeah...?"

"Does that mean that it's a date?" Ned nudged him, wriggling his eyebrows.

"Stop it!" Peter snorted, giving his friend a playful shove, cheeks pink.

"Seriously though. He seems to like you, and he hasn't even seen your face."

"Thanks man." Peter rolled his eyes.

"You know what I mean Pete. I know you want to play it safe and not reveal yourself to anybody, but Percy has a messed up life too. I'm sure showing your face would be fine." Ned said kindly when they reached their seats.

"Thanks for reminding me about my messed up life. But really, I don't know...What if he thinks I'm just a kid and doesn't want to hang out anymore?" it was well above most of the reasons he still hadn't shown his face to the dark haired teen.

"You know this is just silly. He saw you in action before, hasn't he?" Peter nodded doubtfully "Then there is no way he would just say you are too young. Come on! You are Sipderman!" Ned said in a more hushed tone. That brought a small smile to Peter's face. Well, okay. Maybe it was a rather silly thought.

"I'll think about it." he promised, turning to listen to the teacher's lecture to prevent getting detention. He still had doubts, but he couldn't picture Percy rejecting his company just because he is a few years younger than him. The demigod seemed too good natured and gentle for that.

He was still feeling distracted that night when he went out on patrol, scanning the streets for any kind of illegal activities. He sighed frustrated, swinging through the city for the third time. It was good that the people were safe and not committing criminal actions, but it still made him feel useless. Especially with that Daredevil guy running around in Hell's Kitchen. He kind of freaked Peter out, even though he wasn't known for killing people at all. Nights like these made him feel second thoughts about rejecting Tony's offer.

He frowned behind his mask as he circled around Queens for the fourth time, still nothing to do. It was almost ten already and he still hadn't done anything helpful. Was he completely useless? He sighed miserably, then quirked and eyebrow when he felt his phone buzz against his suit. He huffed a breath and jumped on top of a skyscraper carelessly. He unlocked his phone, breath hitching.

'still up for tonight?' it read.

It was a simple question, yet it made Peter's heart flutter. He typed a quick response and slipped his phone back in his suit with a small smile. He jumped off the skycraper and flipped midair, catching himself with a web on the next building, laughing breathlessly and swinging with newfound enthusiasm as he approached Manhattan. He landed on Percy's building pleasantly out of breath, looking around to find the demigod already sitting on his previous spot from two nights before, grinning when he spotted Peter.

"Hey! I've been waiting for you." Percy stood and jogged up to where Peter was standing.

"Hi. Sorry. I was on patrol." Peter said shyly.

"Did anything interesting happen?"

Peter sighed, remembering his earlier frustrations "No...Nothing happened at all. I feel so useless nowadays." he admitted sourly.

"Come on. You are not useless. Plus, it should be a good thing when people don't need help, shouldn't it?"

"I guess..." Peter mumbled halfheartedly.

Percy hummed, seeing Peter's hunched posture and hearing his sad voice "Tell you what. Would you like to eat pizza or something? On me." He grinned when Peter's head perked up at the mention of food.

"I could eat. But I would feel bad for letting you pay. You bought me hot chocolate last time." Peter said, rubbing his arm.

"You can treat me next time, how's that?" Peter felt his stomach erupt with butterflies at the words 'next time'. He nodded and said a weak 'Okay', following Percy down to the street. They found a restaurant still open on the corner and Percy went inside to buy a box of pizza. They split the pizza in half and ate it on top of Percy's building, chatting as they wolfed the slices down one by one.

Peter's mood improved a lot when they started eating, telling Percy of his day. He told him how one of his classmates almost blew up the chemistry lab, having to evacuate the class and close off the classroom for the rest of the day. Percy laughed wholeheartedly, a very nice sound in the quiet night. Peter found that he liked it a lot and felt proud for making him laugh, hoping to hear him laugh more. Percy also told him about his day, though he was more frustrated with school than he would have liked to admit. He had a lot of difficulties with catching up to his class because of his focus problems and dyslexia. Peter felt bad for the guy, especially knowing the reason behind his problems. Percy didn't linger much on the topic though, moving on to telling Peter about the monsters he encountered on the way home.

"It's very strange. They have never been so actively onto me. Maybe one or two monster attacks a month and that was it, but now they find me almost every week, maybe even twice a week." he shook his head frowning. Peter hummed with his mouth full and swallowed.

"You said you defeated their last boss a few months ago. Is it possible that they have a new leader?" he mused out loud.

"I hope not. I'm so done with this mess. Annabeth said the same thing. She came across monsters just yesterday."

"Is she your girlfriend?" Peter asked carefully, trying to hide his anxiousness.

"Annabeth? My grilfriend?" Percy chuckled amused at the idea alone "Nah. She's just my best friend. We tried dating once, but we didn't fit together like that. We decided we were more comfortable as friends."

"Oh. I see..." Peter felt a weight fall off of his chest.

"What about you? Girlfriend? Boyfriend?" Percy asked before he bit into his last slice of pizza. Peter felt the food get sour in his mouth at the question, a cold reminder of how he had disappointed Liz.

"Well, I had a crush on a girl." Peter rubbed the back of his neck, wincing a bit.

"And?" Percy smiled patiently.

"I fought his dad and he went to prison. He was the Vulture. She had to move away shortly after."

"Ah..." Percy's smile fell instantly "I'm sorry it didn't work out. Must have been hard to see her go." Percy said softly, placing a hand on Peter's shoulder.

"Yeah...but, you know...it hurt, but not as much as I thought it would. I obviously liked her, and she is truly awesome, pretty and smart and she is nice too...but I just...I don't know. Admiring her from afar and actually trying to talk to her are two different things. I just couldn't connect with her the way I wanted to...Does that make any sense?" Peter turned to look at the demigod, biting his lip anxiously.

"It does. Annie and me were kind of similar in that way. We worked good as friends and flirted a lot as a joke, even Aphrodite herself hinted that we were meant for each other, yet technically it didn't work out." Percy shrugged, giving Peter's shoulder a gentle squeeze and pat before withdrawing. Peter smiled, feeling a bit better. It felt good to share his concerns with someoene.

"Have you got eyes for anyone now?" Percy nudged him with a playful smirk.

"T-There is someone..." Peter ducked his head embarrassed "But I don't think they would consider me in a romantic sense."

"How do you know? Have you asked?" Percy tilted his head curiously.

"No...but I really shouldn't. It would spoil our friendship."

Percy hummed and nodded "Suit yourself, but, if you would take one piece of advice from me," Peter looked up, Percy's face now seemingly more solemn and sober than he had ever seen him "I would say you shouldn't ponder too much on things. Life can make very unexpected turns in very short periods of time. Try to live in the moment a little. I learnt this by experience." Percy smiled sadly at his hands. The sight made Peter's heart clench painfully. He wanted to reach out and touch Percy, hug him and comfort him somehow, but he knew it wouldn't have been welcomed.

"You are right. I'll think about it." Peter said instead.

"Good." Percy nodded "Sorry for ruining the mood." he smiled a little.

"You didn't ruin the mood. Not really. I like talking with you a lot. Whatever the subject is."

Percy let himself smile fully now, amused as Peter realised what he had just said and flushed dark red, even visible where his mask was still rolled up to his mouth.

"You should lose the mask. You are very much capable of becoming red without it." Percy laughed as Peter scrambled to readjust his mask, pouting and huffing without real heat. He didn't keep it up for long though, joining in Percy's laughter.

"I like talking with you too. Same time tomorrow? Send me a text when you are able to come over." Percy asked, slightly breathless from laughing, eyes bright with amusement.

"S-Sure. I would like that." Peter stuttered, standing from his seat. He wondered why Percy had to be so dreamy, damn his luck "I should get going. You know...school and stuff." he scratched his arm nervoulsy.

"Yeah. It is pretty late huh?" Percy stood as well, dusting his jeans "See you tomorrow then. I'm looking forward to it." Peter was only able to nod, heart hammering in his chest. He said a rushed goodbye and left hastily.

Was it wrong to pine after the hero? If it was, Peter had no idea how to make himself stop. He was already in deep, and he just found himself liking Percy more and more as he got to know the demigod better.

"I'm in so much trouble." Peter sighed to himself as he flopped face down on his bed, groaning into the covers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...here's a little update. I honestly have no idea where I'm going with this fic. No plan, whatsoever. Still experimenting with writing I guess.  
> Anyway, I hope you at least somewhat enjoyed my weird thing. Let me know if you'd like to read more.
> 
> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated as always :3


	4. Chapter 4

Peter huffed and panted, gritting his teeth through the agony that spread through his left arm and made him dizzy, blood slowly trickling down from the gunshot wound, the torn fabric of his suit soaked and dirty. Karen was saying something about calling Tony and Happy, but Peter couldn't focus on the words of the A.I, her tone almost sounding like it held a trace of panic and concern, which would have been quite impossible as far as he was informed. Peter swore lightly under his breath, ragged and panicked, for being so stupid and careless.

He had unarmed men countless times and his reflexes were always perfectly in synch with his nerve system, but nowadays he was distracted. He didn't get as much sleep as he would have liked, and he was tired and stressed. He kept having nightmares, scenes where he was almost crushed to death by the building the Vulture brought down on him. Dying alone, broken and histerical to the point where he woke up screaming and sweaty, sometimes crying. May looked truly scared then, confused and agitated, desperately asking Peter what she could do to help him. She made him see a therapist, something Tony helped to move along, and it helped somewhat, but not enough, and he couldn't take sleeping pills either. He had duties. Percy noticed the shift in his mood almost instantly, and interrogated him until Peter gave in and told him more than what he had told the therapist during their sessions, munching on junkfood or drinking hot chocolate. Percy listened to him in silence, patiently, he wrapped his arm around Peter when it became too much and he started shaking as he sobbed quietly. It didn't matter that Peter never took off his mask. Percy didn't judge, and talked Peter gently out of his silly insecurities when they arose, comforting the teen just how he needed it. And Peter appreciated that more than he could put it into words, feeling more and more guilty as days passed, that he still hadn't shown the demigod his face. It should have been pretty awkward too, crying his eyes red and puffy in the arms of a 18 something year old guy, but it wasn't. Percy's presence was soothing, always smelling slightly of salt, and his eyes always bore a sense of comfort whenever Peter had the strenght to look up into them. Being with Percy was easy in that sense, almost as easy as breathing, going from pouring his heart out to lighthearted bickering and teasing. After weeks of hanging out Peter broke out of his shell and was chatting with Percy about nothing and everything, making witty and snarky remarks at each other. Peter called Percy 'Water Brain' ("Hardy har har har, very funny" Percy rolled his eyes for the first time) and the demigod teased Peter in return by calling him 'Spiderboy', which Peter found only slightly annoying when Percy said it, no real offence behind the word. They had a simple and comfortable dynamic, eating unhealthy food on rooftops and talking, Percy sometimes tagging along to Peter's patrols on foot and helping out wherever he could. It was something Peter never dared to hope for. He had a great friend and an ally at the same time, relationship only complicated by his ridiculous unrequited crush on the demigod, which grew stronger and stronger each day. Ned kept nagging him that he should totally talk to Percy about it, or at least reveal his identitiy and come clean, but he just couldn't bear the thought of Percy pushing him away. It was a ridiculous thought, he knew deep down, but he was too insecure to think otherwise.

Now though, he had every right to complain about the stupid mask. It made his breath come out with more struggling, and stuck to his cold sweat slicked face, like it tried to suffocate him. It didn't help one bit to settle the bubbling panic attack in Peter's chest. His arm burned and throbbed, more blood spilling from the wound as Peter struggled to get his phone from inside his suit, uninjured hand shaking. Peter bit his lip with stinging eyes as he fumbled with his phone, his slippery fingers not cooperating with making the screen work with him. He let out a relieved breath when he found Percy's name on his contact list, slumping down on the pavement in front of the brick house the demigod lived in. Just a bit more. He pressed the call button and pressed the phone to his ear, vision blurring with the tears falling from his eyes and the burning pain in his arm.

"Hey man! What's up? Are you on the roof already? A text would have been enou--" Percy cut himself off when Peter whimpered softly "W-What's wrong? Are you hurt? Please talk to me?"

"Shot." Peter breathed shortly, slumping on his side against the cold ground.

"Alright. Okay, okay. Where are you? I'm coming for you." Percy tried to make himself not to panic, but a broken sob escaped Peter, a noise that sounded way too heartbreaking.

"Your house...on the street." Peter swallowed thickly. He heard Percy mutter words that he could only guess to be a foreign language, and then the line went dead. His brain was starting to become foggy and he felt dizzier by the moment, vision only focusing and sharpening when the front door opened loudly and Percy darted out, kneeling next to him with brows furrowed, face grim. He swore under his breath in ancient Greek and tugged his belt off of his jeans to tightly wrap it around Peter's bleeding arm, hushing the boy softly in an apologetic tone when he sobbed with pain.

"Alright. Tell me where to take you. I'm guessing no hospitals." Percy helped Peter sit gently, eyes darting over his hunched in form.

"N-No hospitals." Peter shook his head weakly "Tony..." he suck in a breath and gritted his teeth as another wave of pain went through his arm.

"Tony Stark." Percy ran a hand through his messy hair "The Avengers moved from the tower. I don't know..."

"I have it in my GPS." Peter cut him off meakly, swaying slightly where he sat. Percy could see that he was seconds away from passing out. The shot wound went through his upper arm, but it didn't break bone as far as Percy could see. Still, it was bleeding and his belt could only do much as far as first aid went. He was so useless at this. Now he wished he had listened to Will's lectures about the importance of first-aid knowledge.

Percy took a deep breath and scooped the teen up from the ground, as gently as possible "Just hang on. I've got you. I'll get you help." he soothed him as Peter curled against him.

Peter was vaguely aware of Percy setting him in his blue Toyota and driving him in the direction of the new Avangers headquarters with the instructions of his phone, probably breaking the speed limit, but he couldn't stay conscious. He was sometimes close to waking up, his eyes opening from time to time to see blurred lights at the side of the road, but he fell back asleep quickly. Percy kept glancing at him, worry keeping him high and alert as he drove. He pondered whether he should take off Peter's mask, damp and sticking to his face, but he didn't want to dishonor Peter's wish to keep his identity a secret and only rolled the fabric up to his mouth to help him breathe better. It was almost physical agony as he drove, frustrated that his car wasn't capable of going any faster. Peter kept murmuring things in his slumber, incoherent and very worrying.

"It's going to be okay. I promise. You are going to be okay." Percy wasn't sure if he said that to comfort himself or the boy in the seat next to him, but he guessed it was probably the former, as said boy wasn't able to hear him.

 

~~~

 

Peter woke slowly, head aching and eyes sore, blinding white light welcoming him from his sleep. His body felt like it weighed at least a thousand pounds, but the pain in his left arm at least felt less agonazing. There was a warm weight on his right hand. He closed his eyes and then opened them again, getting accustomed to the light. He was in a white room, very reminiscent of a hospital ward, brightness coming from lamps overhead. Water was steadily dripping from an IV tube next to his head, machines beeping softly. Tony was sitting by his bed looking weary, hand over Peter's on the covers. His expensive suit jacket was abandoned on the back of the chair and his shirt looked wrinkled, his tie hanging loosely around his neck.

"M-Mr Stark." Peter's voice cracked, tongue and throat dry. Tony immediately snapped his head up and reached over to the bedside table hastily to press a glass of water with a straw in it to Peter's mouth. Peter drank gratefully, almost bursting to tears at how nice it felt, how sweet the plain water tasted in his mouth.

"Christ kid. You scared the hell out of me. You have no idea..." Tony sighed as he set the empty glass back on the table, moving to grab Peter's hand again.

"I'm sorry Mr Stark." Peter's lower lip wobbled and he sniffed, trying to resist the urge to actually cry in front of his mentor and idol.

"Drop the Mr Stark, I've told you already. Tony is fine." the man shook his head as he chided softly "And don't apologise. You did nothing wrong." he frowned.

"I'm sorry." Peter sniffed wetly. Tony rolled his eyes but patted his hand gently.

"How are you feeling? The doc said you should be okay, with your super healing and stuff and you won't have long term damages, but I couldn't..." Tony sighed "Your arm was a wreck. What happened?"

Peter swallowed and told Tony the story of how stupid he was. He was taking care of an armed robbery, when a guy he hadn't seen before stepped in and shot him from behind. He was able to unarm the thug and leave before the police arrived, but the damage was already done. Karen called both him and Happy, but Peter knew it would be too late. He went to the only person for help he could think of at the time; Percy. Tony listened to this grimly, especially when it came to the dark haired teen. He had instructed the guards at the gate to let him in when he arrived with Peter, but he didn't trust the guy at all. He looked like the typical kind of teenager that only meant trouble, especially to pure kids like Peter. He didn't know what his relations with Peter were, but he didn't like him one bit. A background check was due. Call him paranoid or overprotective, but he had his reasons to be this way, and he damn well wouldn't let Peter get hurt any more than he already was. For which Tony felt guilty enough already. He should have been there for the kid when he needed it.

"Mr Stark," Tony snapped his attention back to Peter, who was looking at him like a kicked puppy. "Where is Percy?" he asked in a thin voice.

Tony frowned grimly "Outside. He wouldn't leave, not even when I threatened to throw him out." much to the man's displeasure, Peter actually smiled at that.

"Can I see him?"

Tony sighed and ran a hand over his face. "You are weak, Peter. You have to rest. You were seriously injured." he said gruffly, pointedly avoiding the kid's face. Damn his puppy eyes.

"It's fine. I want to talk to him." Peter said earnestly. He looked down at himself. He was mostly naked under the white covers draped around him, only in his underwear, his left upper arm and shoulder richly wrapped in bandages. He wasn't sure if Percy had seen his face, but he didn't care anymore.

"Does he know your real identity?" Tony refused to give in just yet. The silence he got in return was all the answer he needed. "Look kid. I don't know how long you have known him, but you have to think this through. It's dangerous to reveal your hero identity to anyone. You know that."

"I know Mr Stark, but I've thought about it for a while now and I trust him. He brought me here, didn't he?" Peter asked firmly. And Tony didn't know how to argue with that, so he sighed (for the gods know how many time since he had been waiting for Peter to wake up) and nodded defeated.

"Okay. I'll send him in. But keep it short. I want you to rest." Tony patted his hand one more time before he stood from his chair and retrieved his jacket.

"Thank you Mr Stark-- I mean Tony." Peter corrected himself hastily. Tony smiled and shook his head.

"I'll check on you later." Peter nodded as the man left the room, biting his lower lip as he waited for Percy, self conscious of how he looked and smelled. Probably pretty bad.

All his insecurities vanished however when the door to the room opened and Percy rushed in, taking seat at Tony's previous spot without a second thought and took Peter's good hand in his own.

"Gods. I was so worried. I feared you were going to..." Percy shook his head and leaned closer, eyes darting over Peter's features. He looked tired and a bit grey, but his eyes were gentle and very brown, shining and lively. Percy recognised Peter's soft face and big doe eyes, brown fluffy hair, cheeks flushed despite his earlier bloodloss. He looked absolutely beautiful. "How are you feeling?"

"H-Hi. I feel better, thank you." Peter said with a tired smile. "I'm sorry for scaring you. I didn't have anyone else to go to at the time."

"It's okay. I'm glad you are better now." Percy bit his lower lip and scooted closer, if it was even possible with how close he sat already, and gripped Peter's hand more tightly.

"My name is Peter. Peter Parker. You probably don't remember, but we have met once not even long ago on the street." Peter said slowly, staring at the hand Percy was gripping, giving a weak squeeze of his own.

"I remember. I could never forget an adorable face like yours." Percy let himself smile softly as Peter's doe eyes widened. "Nice to meet you again." he said amused as the boy's cheeks darkened to an even deeper shade of red.

"N-Nice to meet you too." Peter stammered and looked down embarrassed. "You are not going to hate me now, are you?"

Percy couldn't believe his ears for a second and actually thought he had heard Peter wrong, but the kid was staring at him anxiously from under thick eyelashes, looking unfairly guilty and cute, innocent like a lamb.

"Hate you? I could never hate you. You can't seriously mean that." Percy said softly and brought Peter's hand up to his lips to press a soft kiss on his knuckles, careful of the IV injected in his lower arm. Peter's lips parted slightly and his nerves buzzed as he felt Percy's lips touch his skin, tiny hairs standing all over his body. "You know me better than that. And you haven't done anything bad, Peter. I'm glad you came to me and trusted me." Peter shut his mouth and nodded wordlessly, afraid to embarrass himself, the pure sincerity of Percy's words making his heart tap dance in his chest and butterflies flap around in his stomach.

"Listen Peter. I have to leave for now. My mother's going to freak out if I'm not home soon, but I will come back tomorrow." Percy said apologetically "If your dad doesn't call the cops on me." he added on a second thought, pleased to see that Peter smiled a little at that. He had the impression that Peter's smile could melt anyone if he really wanted to have that effect.

"Tony's not my dad, Percy." Peter sighed amused.

Percy shrugged "He acted like he was. He did threaten to throw me out at one point. I would have liked to see him try." he chirped happily.

Peter only shook his head weakly "Please be nice with him. He is just worried about me. I want you two to get along." he pleaded softly.

"Fine fine. But he started it." Percy smirked when Peter rolled his eyes. It was strange to actually see it without the Spider-Man mask, a familiar gesture. He had seen him do it countless times, though not actually his eyes, but the way the rest of his body moved. Though, he found that he liked the sight of Peter more without the suit on.

"Just be nice."

"Yes sir!" Percy beamed and squeezed his hand, then slowly stood. "I'll be back after school, I promise. Do you want me to bring you anything?"

"No, just yourself. Thank you, Percy. For everything." Peter said with a small tired smile, eyes lidded with exhaustion.

Percy smiled fondly and pulled the covers further up Peter's body, then leaned over him to press a tender kiss to his forehead, Peter's eyes fluttering at the warm and affectionate touch. He slid his eyes shut and drifted into a dreamless sleep with a content sigh. Percy left the room as quietly as possible and came to stand in front of Tony in the hallway, arms crossed and looking unimpressed.

"He is asleep." Percy stated calmly.

Tony frowned, untangling one hand to hold up his phone, a video ready to be played on the holographic screen projected from it. "Would you care to explain this?" he asked grimly. It was a survaillance footage of Percy and other campers from the battle of Manhattan.

"That was a long time ago." Percy answered stiffly. He promised Peter that he would be nice to the man, but he didn't like where this line of questioning was going. At all. It brought back too many memories.

"I looked into your past, Perseus Jackson. Your record is clean to the public eye, but you have classified assults that were deleted. Explosions and other run-ins with authorities. I dug this and a bunch of recordings like this from the S.H.I.E.L.D's old database I had saved before it went down. I was right. You are not only bad news, but a terrorist. You and your friends caused that havoc in Manhattan two years ago." Tony paused, brows drawn together "Who the hell are you and what do you want from Peter?"

Percy smiled dryly. "I'm a teenager. I go to school, ready to graduate soon and go to college. I mean no harm to Peter, if that's what you are concerned about. We are friends. And I'm not a terrorist."

Tony scoffed mockingly "Friends? You are crazy if you think I'll let you anywhere near close to him now."

Percy sighed wearily, patience running low after a sleepless and nerv wracking night, not to mention foodless. He was starving. "I don't want trouble, believe me. I just want to get home before my mother freaks out."

"I should hand you over to the authorities for domestic terrorism." Tony retorted, though he was less and less convinced of his own newfound proof of Percy's bad tendencies. In truth he had no idea what to make of what he had found out, but he was stubborn like that. Everybody knew that much of him. That, his good looks and his genious.

"You can try. Or you can let me go peacefully. Peter doesn't want us to fight, and I have no desire to fight either, but I won't let you push me around." Percy met Tony's eyes, his seagreen orbs now stormy and impatient, a force to be reckoned with. Tony's gaze flickered to the door of the medical ward where Peter slept, remembering his broken look and innocence, his way of seeing the good in everyone. Yet, he was fierce when he wanted to speak to Percy and defend his character.

Tony didn't like it, but if Peter really trusted this person, he had no chance but to let him go for now. He needed to do more digging too anyway. He stepped back and let Percy pass by him.

"I'll be back in the afternoon to see him. Goodbye, Mr Stark." Percy said over his shoulder. Tony chose not to say anything in return, though Percy's tone wasn't mocking or disrespectful. If anything, it sounded too tired and sincere for his liking.

He shook the thoughts away and peeked inside Peter's ward instead, the kid sleeping soundly with a small smile tugging at his lips. Tony had to smile a little too, shutting the door carefully.

He was way too fond of Peter.

 

***

 

Peter had to admit, being injured sucked. Big time.

When he woke up in the morning his arm was healing quite well already, and he didn't have to take such strong medicines to keep the pain dull. Which unfortunately made him feel more sober and bored as he laid in bed all day. Tony told him that May was informed that he was alive and he was going home soon, but he had to send Ned a text explaining shortly what happened and that he would have to skip school for a couple of days at worst.

So of course he had nothing to do all day, only surf YouTube and watch Netflix on his phone, which got old fast. The food he got wasn't too satisfying either. Healthy stuff that sounded good on paper but wasn't as appetizing.

A nurse changed his bandages during the day, the wound healed to the point where Peter could actually move it without intense pain wrecking his arm that made him want to puke. That was positive.

He felt such relief and happiness when he got a text from Percy saying that he was on his way. If Peter really concentrated he could still feel Percy's lingering lips when he had kissed his forehead. He smiled, warm and lovesick at how much the demigod seemed to care about him. But it made him wonder what he was supposed to do now. He couldn't ignore his feelings forever, and the more time he spent with the demigod, the more attached he felt to him. It felt like he had been friends with Percy for years now and he couldn't imagine his life without him in it. He was startled from his thoughts when somebody knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Peter called out softly. He beamed as the door opened and Percy walked in, backpack over his shoulder and a pizza box in his hand.

"Hey Peter." Percy greeted him with a sheepish grin. He had changed into different clothes than the one Peter had seen him in, but he looked tired. It made Peter's stomach tie in a knot, guilty for making Percy go through so much trouble for him.

"Hi." Peter replied soflty.

"How is your arm? Any better?" Percy ditched his backpack at the feet of the bed and sat in the same chair he used before, setting the pizzabox on the bedside table.

"It's healing steadily. Thanks to you." Peter smiled, the smell of pizza filling his nostrils.

"Stop thanking me. It was the least I could do. You are my friend and you are important to me." Percy shook his head, and as if sensing Peter's thoughts he moved the box in Peter's lap instead "I thought you might be hungry. Hospitals are not famous for their food."

"You are a life saver. Thanks Percy!" Peter grinned, opening the box earnestly. Percy chuckled in amusement as Peter began wolfing down slice after slice, only stopping to drink water and ask Percy about his day and what had happened after he left.

Percy told him he had a few hours of sleep and he only got a light scolding from his mother when she heard why he had to leave in the middle of the night. His day was fairly mundane and uneventful after that, though he felt like somebody was watching him on the street when he was walking home. It was unsettling, but he couldn't see anyone particularly shady or directly looking at him so he tried his best to ignore it.

"Monsters?" Peter guessed around a mouthful of pizza.

"I honestly don't know." Percy shook his head "All I know is that it's creeping me out. You know, I was really hoping that after the war against Gaea and the giants I would finally get a break from this madness, but they keep following me everywhere." Peter could hear the desperation in his voice, and it made his heart ache painfully. Percy had told him about his first and last quest, during the time they spent together, and everything in between. The whole business with Kronos and Gaea and all his losses. It was sad to hear Percy talking about all the people he lost so early in his life, and he did his best to listen respectfully and comfort Percy when the memories seemed to really weigh him down, just like when he had comforted Peter.

Peter reached out with his clean hand, palm facing up, silently asking for Percy's hand. Percy smiled affectionately and placed his hand into Peter's open palm, marveling on how different they hands looked and felt. His was bigger and his skin was tanned, larger and smaller pink cuts here and there, while Peter's skin was considerably pale, light pink at the joints and very smooth to the touch. But very warm all the same, soothing. Percy never realised how much he liked to touch Peter. When they were sitting up against each other on rooftops, legs and shoulders touching, or when he had an arm around Peter, he didn't think much about it, but he knew he would miss it now.

They stayed like that for a while, holding hands in comfortable silence, until Percy finally slipped his hand free with a grateful smile and Peter went back to eating after flashing a smile of his own.

"So...now that you don't have to be so secretive with me, wanna hang out at my place next time? Mom wants to cook dinner for you too and meet you. " Percy asked, with just a hint of nervousness.

Peter felt overjoyed by the idea, excited to finally meet Sally Jackson, whom he had heard about so much. Also, the normality of the situation. Peter going over to a friend's house to have dinner and hang out, without his suit in the way.

"That would be great!" Peter beamed happily. Percy couldn't help but smile as well, the younger boy's enthusiasm contagious.

They kept talking for a while, eventually moving to watch silly YouTube videos and eating more pizza, much to the annoyance of the nurse assigned to Peter. Tony came in to check on him once or twice, always looking rather disapproving, but didn't say anything that would have suggested that. Peter sighed when he saw Tony's looks towards the son of Poseidon. He knew if he wanted the two of them to get along, he had to convince Percy to let Tony in on the whole demigod thing. He didn't want them to be on bad terms.

Peter felt rather crushed and disappointed when it was time for Percy to leave, but he knew he had to just suck it up. Percy was so kind to him already.

"Don't look so sad. I'll be back tomorrow." the demigod chuckled fondly.

"I know, but it's sooo boring here alone." Peter whined pouting. Percy swallowed, watching that rosy pink lower lip tremble under his gaze. He shook himself mentally. He must have felt really tired, he thought, chiding himself for looking at Peter like a piece of barbecue on a stick. Though, he had to admit to himself that the boy was very cute, and he had come to like him well before he knew what he looked like under the Spiderman suit. There was no reason to freak Peter out too soon though, so he shrugged it off for now and gathered up his backpack, slinging it over one shoulder.

"I'll see you tomorrow. Hope you'll feel better."

"Good night Percy." Peter smiled, the older teen sending him a fond smile over his shoulder as he left.

Peter closed his eyes still smiling. He was looking forward to see how their relationship would change now that Percy finally knew who he was, and he now gets to share even more of himself. The subject of possibly monsters following Percy around made him feel uneasy though, like something bad was going to happen soon, a feeling from deep inside his body, frowning slightly.

For now he wrapped his blanket around himself and snuggled back against the mattress, trying his best to fall asleep. His body needed a lot of healing before he could do anything to help Percy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heey~  
> So, I got some inspiration from a very long comment on the previous chapter, and while I'm not incorporating those ideas, not really, I do appreciate the enthusiasm and encouragement. I was happy to see that at least some people enjoy the weird stuff I write ^^;  
> Anywho, I hope you liked this chapter. I'm still not sure where I'm going with this, but I want these two dorks to get together at some point so I better come up with something :D I also know my writing is not very pleasant, so I'm always happy to recieve constructive critisism and/or tips on how I could make it better.  
> But anyway, let me know if you'd like to read more of this thing.
> 
> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated as always :3


	5. Chapter 5

A week later Peter was good as new and he was ready to go back to school after the weekend. May had been worried about him and visited him every morning to make sure he was okay, confused why he had to stay at the Avengers Headquarters medical bay of all places, but Tony assured her that they didn't have to pay for anything and that he just wanted to make sure Peter got the best healthcare. May seemed suspicious but didn't say anything about that, more relieved that Peter was going to be okay.

Ned had been sending him the homework, so he had something to occupy himself with while Percy was at school. It wasn't that good of a distraction, as he had already known most of what they studied at school and his homework was done quite fast, except the essays. While he usually despised essays, because they took away a lot of his time, the time he could have spent on patrol in the Spiderman suit or hang out with Percy, now it was kind of relaxing and therapudic. He was allowed to move around a bit too and didn't have to lie in bed all day, he could eat in the dining hall of the Avengers Headquarters and write his homework sitting in the livingroom area.

Despite all that, he was mostly really bored and couldn't wait for Percy to arrive each day. Percy told him about what had happened to him during the day and Peter even offered to help him with his chemistry and physics homework. Percy was grateful for that, as science subjects were very ungraspable for him, even more than the usual school subjects, especially with his focusing problems. Somehow Peter could explain things to him so that he understood the basics and his mind very rarely wandered elsewhere as he listened to him. He could see that Peter was very passionate about science too, the way his face lit up and how he gestured animatedly with his hands as he spoke, warm brown eyes sparkling. His voice became breathless when he tried to speak too fast without stopping to take breaths and his cheeks took up a light pink colour. Percy had to smile at how adorable he was.

Now Peter was ready to go home, only waiting for Percy to arrive and drive him home. He smiled as he packed his notebooks and other stuff in the bag Tony had given him, feeling happier than he thought he would. It was great to be so open with Percy, to share everything with him, to have him smile so warmly whenever they were together. It was like with the reveal of his identity a wall had disappeared and there was nothing to divide them from each other. Percy didn't treat him any different, didn't see him as a kid, didn't push him away. If anything, he pulled him even closer. Both metamorphically and physically. They were touching even more than before, leaning into the other's side, sometimes almost into each other's lap, hands lingering without either of them noticing.

Tony wasn't happy with that, but he couldn't really find anything bad on Percy, no matter how much digging he did. And he couldn't find any of his friends either from the footages. Only a girl called Annabeth Chase, who he had spoken with personally on the phone, but couldn't get anything useful out of her. She sounded way too intelligent and calculating too, and he had the impression that she was probably playing him. She scaringly reminded him of Natasha just by the why she talked.

A soft series of knocks on the door of his ward startled Peter as he put away the last of his books and his laptop.

"Hey Peter! Ready to go?" Percy grinned as he looked questioningly at the packed bag on the bed.

"Hi Perce. Yeah, I'm all done with packing. Don't get me wrong, this place is awesome, but I miss my own bed." Peter answered, smiling back sheepishly.

"Come on then. Lets not waste any more time." Percy moved to grab Peter's bag, only to have his hand swatted away.

"I can carry my own stuff. I'm not that helpless." Peter huffed.

"I just wanted to help." Percy pouted, and Peter did his best to ignore his cuteness and big shiny eyes, that had some kind of magical effect on him. Whenever Percy begged for something and he looked at Peter like that, he found he couldn't say no. Percy even batted his eyelashes, which made Peter snort and roll his eyes.

"You are such a dork." Peter shook his head amused.

"Only for you darling." Percy cooed and took the bag with a confident smirk. Peter had to flush red at the nickname, not even protesting as Percy strode forward with his bag in hand. Peter said a brief goodbye to Tony, who had fixed the Spiderman suit during his recovery and ran some updates on the software. Peter took the suit like he had just been reunited with his twin brother, making both Percy and Tony smile fondly as he gushed at the suit like an overly excited puppy.

"So, are you ready for the dinner with my parents tonight?" Percy barely, but managed to bite back his stupid grin as he put the bag in the truck of his car and got in next to Peter in his blue Toyota. He was nervous about what Peter might think of his home and family, but very excited to finally introduce him. He had been talking a lot of Peter over the time they were hanging out together, even if he still hadn't known Peter by name and face like he knew Spiderman. His mother seemed intrigued by the person Percy described, and when he told her it was Peter she immediately wanted to have him over for dinner. A person who was such a good friend of his son could not be a bad man and she wanted to know personally as many of Percy's friends as possible.

"I'm kinda freaked out to be honest." Peter laughed nervously, hands fidgeting in his lap "I don't want to make a bad impression." he bit his lip anxiously.

"You? A bad impression? There is no way that could happen. My parents are going to love you, believe me." Peter's breath hitched as Percy wrapped his warm hands around his fidgeting fingers, effectively stopping the nervous movements, his calloused fingers making the tiny hairs on his fingers tingle. "It's not like you are asking them to marry me. Just dinner." Percy laughed jokingly.

Peter nodded and smiled, cheeks warm. It was all too soon when Percy let go of his hands and turned his attention to driving, Peter disappointed at the lose of physical contact. Being in the presence of Percy, laughing at his ridiculous jokes and puns, their friendly touches, were in a sense addicting for Peter. He wasn't one for frequent physical connection, but somehow it came so natural when it was the son of Poseidon, he even missed it. He felt truly silly now, thinking that Percy would not spend time with him if he revealed his true identity.

Before he knew it they were pulling up in front of the familiar brick building, the place that burned into his brain as the place where he had some of the fondest memories of his short life. May sound like an exaggeration, but that's just how Peter felt.

"This is so weird. I've never been inside the building. I only got as far as the street or the roof." Peter said as he stared up at the building. Percy joined him after locking his car and put a reassuring hand on his back.

"I know. But I like this change." Percy said cheerily, gently guiding Peter to the front door with his hand. They took the stairs to the fifth floor, where Percy unlocked the door of his apartment, holding it open for Peter to go in first.

The apartment wasn't too big in itself, maybe slightly bigger than the one Peter and May shared, but it had a very cozy and homey atmosphere. There were delicious smells drifting from the kitchen, spicy and warm.

"Mom! We are home!"

Peter had to smile as she spotted Percy's mother, belly swollen under her messy cooking apron and face bright with happiness, the corners of her eyes crackling as she beamed at the two of them.

"Peter, this is my mother, Sally Jackson. Mom, this is Peter Parker, the friend I've told you so much about." Percy introduced them.

"Nice to meet you. Percy have told me a lot about you too." Peter said with a shy smile as they shook hands.

"It's my pleasure to meet you dear. Feel free to call me Sally. Paul will be here shortly as well, we just ran out of blue food colouring again so he went down to the shop." Sally said kindly "The food will be ready in a few minutes. Percy, why don't you give Peter a tour of the house while I get everything ready?"

"Are you sure? I mean, isn't there something I could help you with?" Peter asked timidly, ashamed that he couldn't even bring flowers, being the guest at the house.

"You are very sweet, but I'm almost done with everything. And, I want it to be a surprise." Sally said brightly.

"I'm back!" Peter turned to look behind them where the voice came from, a man standing there with a small bottle of blue food colouring. Peter wrinkled his brows, wondering why the Jackson household needed so much blue food colouring of all things. He made a mental note to ask Percy later. "Oh, good evening. You must be Peter. Sally was very excited to have you for dinner with us. I'm Paul Blofis, Percy's stepfather."  
Peter shook the man's offered hand with a small smile and a nod "Nice to meet you."

"See? Now Paul is here to help me. Off you go kids." Sally ushered them in the direction of the livingroom, pecking Paul's cheek before disappearing into the kitchen with him.

"It's not a big apartment, but I can show you around?" Percy offered.

"Yeah. Okay. Lead the way, captain." Peter smiled and followed Percy. He saw photos of Percy and his parents, pictures of smiling kids in orange and purple shirts, one with Percy and a blonde girl and a ginger boy with horns, and others of smaller groups of teens Peter could vaguely name from the stories Percy had shared with him. Everything smelled and looked like home. It made Peter feel kind of sad.

He loved May with all his heart, and he was grateful for everything she had done for him, but seeing Percy with his family, the one here and the one he had at both camps and technically all over the world, it made Peter wish he knew his parents. It made him feel small and lonely, and guilty at the same time for thinking like that while being Percy's guest.

Nevertheless, his vision became blurry and his eyes wet, tears swelling up and slowly sliding down on his cheek as Percy was in the middle of telling the story of how Mrs O'Leary once almost ate their neighbour and busted a hole in the wall in the middle of the livingroom, leaving a patched up and weird looking spot that had to be covered up by pictures as they entered the bathroom. He stopped abruptly, seeing Peter's wet eyes and face.

"Peter? What's wrong? Does your arm hurt? Did I say something wrong?" Percy cardled softly the younger boy's cheeks in his hands, swiping the tears from his eyes gently with his thumb.

"I-I'm sorry." Peter hicupped between sobs "I'm so sorry." he tried to get his feelings under control, but the tears just wouldn't stop coming.

"It's okay. You don't have to apologise for anything. Come here." Percy wrapped his arms around the shorter boy, pulling his smaller frame against his body, holding him as his shoulders kept shaking with his sobs. Peter pressed his face into Percy's torso and grabbed a handful of his shirt, breathing in his salty and musky scent, the warmth slowly calming him and his sobs gradually dying down. Percy didn't say anything, rubbing soothing circles on the small of his back until Peter felt he could breathe again. He pulled back feeling ashamed, face burning as he did his best to wipe his face clean. His flush spread to his ears as he saw the wet spot he made on Percy's shirt.

"I'm so sorry Percy! I didn't mean to ruin your shirt." he said guiltily, biting his lower lip hard.

"Don't worry about my shirt. It's not ruined, just a bit stained." Percy assured him "What's more important, are you feeling alright? What happened? I've never seen you so emotional before." he said with voice strained in concern, eyes searching Peter's face.

"Y-Yes...I'm fine. My arm is fine. I just...I just saw how big your family is, and I guess I...I couldn't help but be reminded what happened when I got my powers. The disappearance of my parents...I don't know...I'm sorry for breaking down on you like this. I understand if you want me to leave." Peter sniffed and kept his head low, hot guilt bubbling in his stomach.

"Look at me, Peter." Percy said gently, moving to stand directly in front of Peter, tilting his chin up with his fingers, stroking the skin as he held his gaze "It's natural that you miss your parents. You don't have to feel guilty about it. And I don't mind that you show your feelings to me, Peter. I won't ask you to leave either. You are important to me, and I would do anything to make sure you don't feel lonely or sad. You have become one of the most important people in my life, someone I can trust completely and be myself with. That means a lot to me. So don't hesitate to show me your true feelings, anytime. I will hold you if that's what you need, if not, just tell me what you need." Peter was completely speechless, Percy's seagreen orbs peering into the depths of his soul, warm with affection and assurance, all the guilt and sadness slowly leaving his body as Percy's sincerely soft words and touches soothed him to calmness. All he could do was nod silently, the warmth retuning to his cheeks as a smile stretched over Percy's mouth, making his eyes wrinkle at the edges and sparkle with adoration. Peter felt utterly taken aback, confused how could this bright smile and tender affection be directed at him. It made him realise something, something he chose to ignore at that moment, pushing it to the back of his mind for later.

"I guess I better change my shirt. Come on. I wanted to show you my room anyway." Percy stepped back and gestured for Peter to follow him.

It was a bit bigger than Peter's room, a single bed and a bedside table pushed against the wall and a desk with a chair on the opposite side, with a window looking out onto the street, a wardrobe right next to the door. The walls were a deep dark shade of blue, covered in posters and more pictures. It was unmistakably Percy, with just a hint of messiness.

"I tried to tidy up a bit, but I can't say I've made it that much better." Percy said slightly nervous, rubbing the back of his neck as he watched Peter look around.

"I think it's nice. I like it. My room isn't any better anyway in terms of tidiness." Percy was relieved to see Peter smile a bit, cheeks still red. He sat on Percy's bed as the older teen opened his wardrobe to rummage through his clothes, grabbing a clean shirt.

Peter's eyes widened as Percy quickly unbuttoned the one he was wearing without a thought, discarding it carelessly and slipping into the clean one. He snapped his gaze away, face and body burning, his mind flooding with flashes of tanned skin and defined muscles, pink cuts and dimples as Percy stretched. He hadn't thought of how much more mature Percy was compared to him before, and he had never seen him shirtless either, something that now made his young and hormon driven body buzz and heat up completely, especially with his super sensitive senses.

"Ready to go back? Mum and Paul must be ready by now." Percy asked gently as he grabbed the discarded shirt.

"O-Of course. Let's go." Peter hurriedly jumped from his seat, maybe a bit too enthusiastically, and rushed out, trying to will his body to calm down. Percy followed him with a curious look, stopping at the bathroom to put his shirt into the laundry basket, and caught up to Peter in the livingroom, in time to hear his mother calling for them in the kitchen, telling them dinner was ready to serve.

Peter's mouth felt slack and opened on its own accord as he entered the kitchen and spotted the dining table. It was arranged beautifully with a blue tablecloth and white plates, similar shade of blue napkins. The table was stacked with delicious looking homemade food, the smells making Peter's mouth water and stomach grumble with hunger. They sat down and began to eat, making small talk, asking Peter about himself and how he had met Percy.

Peter figured it was best to tell the closest thing to the truth, and told them how he had witnessed Percy fight off the furies in the alley the night they had met for the first time, and then how they bumped into each other on the street the next day.

"That seems like a curious accident." Paul said thoughtfully.

"I guess it is." Percy shared a look with Peter.  
It was a strange comment, but Peter got distracted when Sally asked him why Percy had to run off with him to the hospital the previous week, the night he got shot.

"Ah...well...I got seriously injured, and in my panicked state of mind I called Percy, seeking help from him. He drove me to the hospital." Peter answered, feeling guilty for lying at all. He didn't like not telling the truth, which happened more frequently since he got his powers.

"Oh my." Sally covered her mouth "I didn't know that was why Percy had to take you to the hospital. Are you okay now sweetie?" she asked with concern.

"Yes. I'm okay now, thanks to Percy. He saved my life." he looked sideways at the demigod with a meaningful look, their eyes locked for several moments before breaking off.

After that the conversation drifted to lighter topics, Peter asking Sally about his recent writings, Percy having told him before about his mother's writing ambitions. Sally seemed to glow even more as she talked about her work passionately, chuckling a little and apologising for rambling too much. Peter smiled with the rest of the table, telling Sally that he was happy to listen to her. It felt really easy to be there, Peter found. The atmosphere was light and warm, Percy's parents very easy-going and kind, making him feel welcomed among them. At some point he felt Percy take his hand under the table, smiling at him with a squeeze of his hand before letting go. When they were finished with the main dishes, Sally brought in the dessert, a blue cake with beautiful decortion. Peter instantly understood why they needed the blue food colouring before.

By the time they were done with the dessert as well, Peter felt full and content, slightly sleepy from the warm and delicious food. He felt oddly at home with Percy's parents, his previous anxiety completely forgotten by then. He helped clean away the dishes, in spite of Sally's protests, and stayed with Percy in his room for a bit.

"Thank you for this. I really needed it." Peter said lazily as they laid on Percy's bed facing the ceiling "I'm so full." Peter stiffled a yawn with the back of his hand.

"I'm glad you accepted the invitation. Mum and Paul loves you, like I told you they would." Percy turned his head to the side to grin at Peter.

"Does that mean that from now on we can hang out here instead of the rooftop?" Peter turned to look back at Percy hopefully, biting his lip.

"Why, I think that's a great idea." Percy couldn't hide how happy he felt it was Peter who brought it up. He thought about asking him, but wasn't sure Peter would be up to it.

"Then...tomorrow, same time as always?"

"I was thinking that maybe you could come earlier. You know, so we could have more time together...Only if you want to of course." Percy added hastily.

"I would actually like that. I could take the bus like a normal person." Peter laughed.

"Yeah. That's another advantage of it." Percy chuckled with him. He slid his hand on the covers of the bed until he found Peter's and gently squeezed it. They laid there for a while in comfortable silence, enjoying the peace and the warmth of each other, Percy's thumb drawing circles into Peter's palm.  
Peter felt himself getting drowsier and drowsier as Percy continued to massage his palm, skin tingling where his calloused fingers touched his sensitive skin. His body hummed in approval, eyes dropping closed under the exhaustion that suddenly overcame him.

"Oh man." Peter yawned "I'm spent. I better head home." he said apologetically, sitting up on the bed.

"Sure. Of course. It's getting late." Percy let go of his hand and stood, stretching "Let's get you home." he smiled warmly at the younger boy, eyes lidded and face slightly tinted pink. Percy bit his lip as Peter stood as well, not for the first time marvelling on how gorgeous he looked. He felt a bit guilty, Peter only approaching his 16th birthday, nevermind how mature he was despite his age. But whenever he got the chance to touch Peter, he never looked at him with disgust or pushed him away, his big doe eyes almost inviting. He knew they weren't familiar enough with each other just yet, and that Peter needed time to be comfortable with him. He wasn't even sure Peter liked him that way, though he had the suspicion he did. Even so, he didn't want to scare Peter away and possibly end their friendship. He adored the boy, and he was willing to set his deeper feelings aside if it meant they could stay friends.

"Percy? Are you coming?" Percy blinked in confusion, broken from his daze, Peter staring at him with furrowed brows and a slightly tilted head.

"Sorry. I just spaced out." Percy laughed nervously and followed Peter out from his bedroom.

Peter said goodnight to Sally and Paul, delighted when Sally made him promise to join them for dinner again sometime, more than happy to allow him to visit Percy whenever he wanted. The drive to his house was mostly spent in silence, Peter dozing off against the window of the car. It made the older teen smile amused. Whenever he thought Peter couldn't be any more adorable, he did something cute and proved him wrong. He let Peter sleep through the ride and only attempted to wake him gently when they arrived at the adress he had been given.

"Peter? We are here."

Peter shifted in his sleep, a small smile tugging at his lips "Percy..." he mumbled, voice slurred with sleep. Percy smiled and shook his head, almost feeling guilty for having to wake up the younger boy.

"Wake up, Peter. You are home." he shook his shoulders softly, until his eyes fluttered slowly open.

"Percy?" Peter rubbed his eyes sleepily "Where are we?" he looked around confused.

"At your house."

"Oh...oh! Sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep on you like that." Peter said sheepishly and unbuckling his seatbelt, got out of the car slowly.

"It's fine. Here." Percy handed him his bag "I hope we can do this again soon."

"Me too. I had fun tonight. I'm really glad to be your friend and that you let me into your house, showed me your family." Peter said with a small tired smile.

Percy nodded with a smile of his own "It was my pleasure. I had fun as well." He wanted to tell Peter that he also hoped they could be more than just friends, but it wasn't the time for that. For now he felt content just being close to Peter and experience more of this new side of him, the one he hadn't got the chance to get to know when he still disguised himself as Spiderman.

"Good night Perce. I'll text you tomorrow before I come over, okay?"

"Okay. Good night." Percy bent down to peck him softly on the cheek, smirking in satisfaction when he saw Peter's cheeks turn red under the dim light of the street "I'll see you tomorrow."

Peter watched the demigod drive away, his cheek tingling where Percy had kissed him. He stood there dumbfounded for several seconds, but eventually shook himself up mentally and got into the building. May hugged him almost to death when he stepped into their apartment, though he had to admit to himself that he missed her greatly during his short recovery. May saw how tired he looked and ordered him to go to sleep instantly, which Peter didn't mind at all. He felt like he could fall asleep on the spot, so he said goodnight to his aunt and went to his room. It was less messy than how he had left it, quite obviously tidied up by May. He threw his bag on the ground next to his bed and quickly stripped from his clothes to change into something comfy to sleep in. When he was done changing and washing his teeth he flopped down on his bed face up, tracing the cracks in the ceiling with his eyes, mind running on superspeed. He sighed heavily, rolling to his side and pulling a pillow under his head, curling in on himself. His mind went back to the moment in Percy's house, when the demigod comforted him and smiled at him with so much affection, his eyes so warm.

"Gods help me...I think I'm in love with Perseus Jackson."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter! Wee! I thought it would take me longer to update, but whenever I see people saying they actually enjoy reading my weird stuff, I feel guilty for leaving the story hanging. Anyway, I'm still not very good at writing. At all. I just enjoy writing about rare pairings as a hobby.
> 
> But, let me know if you'd like to read more of this thing.
> 
> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated :>


	6. Chapter 6

Peter had never felt so happy and grounded in the following weeks, his time divided between May, Ned and school, Percy, and his hero duties. His grades were great and he wasn't lacking on any of his classes, Ned was happy for him when he told him how he had finally revealed his identity and even had dinner at Percy's parents. May became curious as well when Peter started going to Percy's more often than not, asking where he was spending so much time, looking so happy about it. Peter would say he's just hanging out with Ned, but he knew he couldn't keep up the lie for long. He had no idea why he hadn't told her before, but somehow he could never find the right time to introduce Percy.

Tony seemed more at peace with the thought of him and the son of Poseidon spending so much time together, though Peter could see that the man wouldn't trust the hero for a long time, if ever. Peter couldn't really be mad at the overprotective man, because while it seemed unreasonable to be hard on Percy, it still amused him how Tony almost acted like a father when his daughter just introduced her first boyfriend. Still, he gave Tony chiding looks whever he made an inappropriate comment or wouldn't stop frowning whenever he, and thus Percy, dropped by the Avengers Headquarters.

After his first dinner at the Jackson household, Peter's and Percy's relationship hadn't really changed much, except that with Peter's newfound realisation about his feelings for the demigod, and said demigod's similar feelings for the younger boy, they were kind of dancing around each other. As Peter opened himself up more and more, and Percy did the same, they were more drawn to each other. It took some time for Peter to really drop his awkward and shy shell and be the same snarky and witty teenager Percy got to know as Spiderman, but once he did, the tension between the two became dangerously concentrated. They would flirt with each other constantly, but not really, trying to play it off as jokes, though their seemingly innocent lingering touches and looks meant more to them than what met the eye. They were both afraid to make the first step and say something serious. It was so much more easier to be just friends, even though that was just partly the reason. The attraction was there with both of them, but it made Percy wonder if it was morally wrong to make a move on a boy not even past sixteen. He knew that telling Peter this would most likely offend the teen, but his concern was genuine. It wasn't that he didn't think that Peter was mature enough for him, he thought sometimes Peter was even more mature than him. No, he feared Peter would think he was pressured to do things he didn't want to just because Percy was older, and he didn't want that. The thought made his stomach tie in a knot, guilt burning his insides whenever he looked at Peter and thought about how beautiful he was, how much he would have wanted to see him bare, see everything that was there to see about him. It made him question a lot of things about himself.

Unknown to Percy, his younger friend had similar thoughts. He became hyper aware of Percy and his body, he felt every lingering touch to his core. It wasn't that intense when they were sitting leaning against each other, for example, but whenever they held each other's hand just beacuse they felt like it, or when their fingers accidently brushed, Peter felt his nerves buzz every time, and it made him confused and frustrated. He had never had this problem before, but instead of nightmares, he started having strange dreams involving the son of Poseidon. He woke up each time almost as sweaty as if from a nightmare, only it wasn't because the dream had been unpleasant. His body was overreacting, but Peter never remembered much of the dreams so he had no idea why this would happen, only that he had to relieve himself every time that happened, face hot in shame. He couldn't bring it up with May or Ned. His aunt didn't know about him being Spiderman or about his friendship with Percy, and while Ned was his best friend and very helpful, it would have been too embarrassing to admit. He chose to try to forget about it the best he could, though he felt uneasy and guilty for hiding it from Percy. He cursed his immature body for that quite often and felt paranoid going to sleep almost as much as he did thinking he would have another nightmare.

He was currently waiting outside his house on the street leaning against a lamp post, constantly checking the time on his phone. He frowned, pocketing the device with an impatient sigh. Percy was late for almost half an hour now, which wasn't like him at all. They had agreed to meet there and go out for pizza, or something they felt up to, but Percy still hadn't showed up. He was late sometimes, but never this much without any message or call to tell Peter he was going to be late. It made Peter worry quite a bit. Percy was regularly attacked by monsters these days, sometimes one or two and larger groups at other times. Peter knew that Percy could very well take care of himself, being the Defender of Olympus and all, but he still felt anxious whenever he couldn't get a hold of the demigod for longer periods of time. He was just about to call Sally if she knew where Percy could have been when he saw a figure slowly approaching on the opposite side of the street, leaning away from the post and squinting his eyes to see better in the dim lighting. His breath hitched when he saw it was Percy, stumbling slowly, clothes dirty and bloody, torn in places.

"Percy!" he rushed to his side, scanning him with scared and wide eyes "What happened to you?" he reached out, hand hovering above a cut on Percy's brow, the skin below purple and bruised, smeared with blood.

"Ugh." Percy grunted, hand pressed to his left side "A bunch of monsters ambushed me on the way here. I thought I would take the subway this time, but true to my luck, I got run down by monsters." he winced as Peter moved to support him, taking his weight for him "I was able to kill them, but they didn't go out quietly." his voice was strained with pain, breath ragged "I'm sorry I didn't call you, but my phone battery is dead." he said guiltily.

"It's okay, Perce. I was just worried about you." he assured him gently, heart aching how Percy felt guilty even in his condition for not being able to call him "We have to treat your wounds." he bit his lip anxiously and looked around. May was on a late night shift, so his apartment was empty. "Come, we can go to my place. May is not at home, and I have the ambrosia and nectar you have given me for emergencies." Percy nodded gravely and did his best to wobble next to Peter, gritting his teeth through the pain that shot up his side as they moved slowly and carefully. Peter frowned in simpathy and pulled the demigod closer to himself at every more difficult step that had Percy hiss out. He briefly wondered if he should just carry Percy in his arms, but he guessed the demigod probably wouldn't like that so he dismissed the thought. Thankfully the building had a lift, so they didn't have to climb stairs. Once they reached Peter's floor he let Percy lean against the wall while he unlocked the door, then helped him limp inside the apartment and left him sitting on the couch while he went to fetch a first aid kit and the bag containing the amrosia and nectar. Percy laid back panting as he waited for Peter, his hand wet with blood as he pulled it away from his wounded side. He looked around slightly disoriented and dizzy, his eyes taking in the apartment. It was a bit small and crowded with furniture, but it felt cozy nevertheless, and the couch was very comfortable and soft. Peter came running from the bathroom with a wet cloth and the first aid kit, a small bag hanging from his arm. He knelt before Percy and immediately opened the bag, first giving Percy small crumbs of ambrosia then small sips of nectar. The change was fast, the bruises on Percy's face fading and his breathing evening out, pain vanishing from his expression.

"Better?" Peter asked him anxiously, gently wiping his face with the wet cloth, cleaning the blood and dirt from his skin the best he could.

"Yes. Thank you." Percy sighed with a small tired smile, chest heaving more easily. Peter felt the worry in his chest loosen, looking the demigod over with a critical expression.

"You have to take off your clothes. You are dirty all over. I have to check if you have open wounds somewhere left anyway." Peter said sternly. Percy begrudgingly but sat up and let Peter tug off his hoodie and T-shirt.

"You should have bought me dinner first, you know." Percy smirked, trying to ease some of Peter's obvious anxiety. Peter huffed and rolled his eyes, scanning Percy's upper body. Under different circumstances it would have been a sight that took his breath away, if not for the blood and ash, some small open cuts still bleeding, red and purple brusises covering his tanned skin. Peter frowned sadly and carefully washed him, then cleaned the edges of his wounds, sticking bandages over the nearly healed biggest cut on Percy's side.

Percy watched Peter work, face set in concentration, brows furrowed and experienced hands working restlessly. He was no longer dizzy with pain, now feeling every featherly gentle touch on his skin. The bruises over his ribs and side still hurt, but he only felt small jabs of pain from the cuts. It felt oddly pleasant to have somebody take care of him like that, especially if that someone was Peter.

"There...I think this should do it. The ambrosia and nectar did a pretty good job already, so you shouldn't have to wear these for long." Peter leaned back, eyeing his work, until he noticed Percy's gaze still resting on his face "What? Is there something on my face?" he rubbed the back of his hand over his cheek and nose confused. He felt even more confused when Percy just smiled at him and shook his head.

"Nothing's wrong. Thanks for patching me up." his smile softened as he continued to look at Peter "I was just thinking how much I want to kiss you right now."

"W-What?" Peter stuttered, heart quickening rapidly "Now you are just speaking nonsense..." he laughed nervously, picking up the discarded bandage wraps and other used medical items from the couch. "You must have hit your head or something. You should lie back and rest while I clean up."

"I'm not." the tone of the statement made Peter look up from his work.

"Percy, if this is some kind of a joke, it's not funny." he frowned, somewhat offended.

"I would never joke about something like that." Percy said softly and sat up straight, reaching out to take Peter's hand, pulling gently.

"Oh...Percy-- I'm--" Peter felt himself get hot as Percy pulled him closer to himself, coming face to face with the demigod, his intense green eyes fixed on him "I don't know where this is coming from." he said breathlessly as Percy started rubbing his skin gently with his thumb.

"I've been wanting to do this for a long time now, but it seemed too soon to do anything. I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable." he lifted Peter's hand to press a soft kiss on his knuckles, smiling against the skin as Peter's breath hitched and his eyes grew even wider, cheeks flushed deep red to the tip of his ears. "I adore you Peter, a lot. You make me very happy when we are together, and even though I enjoy being your friend, I can't deny that my feelings run deeper than that." Peter felt like time froze right then and there, or at least he felt like he had completely melted down. Percy's words, his lips and fingers on his hand, it all made him confused beyond sense, nerves buzzing with excitement in a very annoying way. He took a deep a breath and braced himself for what he was about to say. He felt it was only fair if he was being honest with Percy as well.

"I-I like you too. L-Like...I like you so much it's crazy." Peter frowned, hot from embarrasment when he realized what he had just said. "W-Wait, that's not right. That sounds really weird. Sorry." he groaned as Percy chuckled amused, Peter's behaviour too endearing and cute to be true.

"W-What are you-- Percy!" Peter yelped when Percy pulled him into his lap, cradling his face in one hand.

"You are so cute, have I told you before?" Percy smiled, wrapping his arms around the younger boy's waist and pressing his face into the crook of his neck. Peter had no choice but to balance himself with his hands on Percy's shoulder, shivering as the demigod's hot breath ghosted the skin on his neck.

"I'm not cute..." Peter mumbled quietly.

"I wonder why you won't believe me." Percy lifted his head from Peter's neck to look at him.

"B-Because I'm really not. I'm nerdy and clumsy. Everybody says so..."

"They are not wrong about that." Percy chuckled amused "But I think that's what makes you so adorable."

Peter had no answer to that, other than to duck his head in embarrassment, only to have his chin gently lifted by Percy's fingers.

"Would you let me kiss you?" the demigod's tone was soft and amused, eyes sparkling as he smiled at Peter.

"I've never kissed anyone before..." Peter admitted shyly. Percy's heart did a little flip in his chest as he watched the younger teen fidget nervously in his lap, cheeks a flattering shade of red, rosy lower lip caught between his teeth.

"Well, then I guess I'll be the first person you kiss. What do you say?"

Peter spared the demigod a shy look, looking up from thick eyelashes "O-Okay." he gave a tiny nod, trying his best to hide how much he actually wanted it to happen.

"That's the spirit!" Percy beamed, one hand curling around Peter's waist, the other gently cradling his face. He guided Peter's face slightly to the side, moving close to the point where their lips were almost touching. Peter's eyelids were hooded with anticipation, breaths coming a little shorter. "Are you sure?" Percy asked one last time just to check.

"Y-Yes." Peter breathed against Percy's lips, making them tingle. His heart was beating so fast, he thought he might faint any second if Percy didn't do something. Just when Percy was about to close the gap between them, they heard the front door open and snap back closed.

"Peter! I'm home!"

Peter almost jumped onto the ceiling when they heard Aunt May call out from the entrance, hurriedly getting off of Percy's lap, barely avoiding falling onto his face in his haste.

"Pete? What--" May stopped abruptly when she spotted Percy "Peter...? Who is that young man?" she lifted a curious eyebrow at her nephew.

"H-Hi Aunt May. T-This is Percy Jackson. A good friend of mine." he said hastily, stumbling over the words. He sent Percy a glance that said 'We are so talking about this later'.

Percy seemed to get the clue, standing to offer May his hand "Nice to meet you Mrs Parker. Peter has told me a lot about you." he smiled winningly, not bothered by the fact that he was still shirtless.

"Has he?" she turned to look at Peter questioningly as they shook hands.

"Only good things." Percy smiled.

May hummed thoughtfully "So he has. But, may I ask why are you not wearing a shirt?"

"Actually, I just finished bandaging him. He got injured in a...uh...fight. Some shady people attacked him (close enough, anyway) and he was in the area so I invited him over."

"Oh dear. And are you feeling alright?" May asked with concern "Should we take you to the hospital? Call an ambulance? The police?"

"I'm fine, but thank you. I didn't see them well enough so there is no use in disturbing the police this late. There wasn't anything stolen either." Percy assured her, though she didn't seem any more reassured "I should be going too. My mother will be worried if I'm late." he said apologetically, collecting his bloody shirt.

"Hold it right there young man." May said sternly with a frown "There is no way I'm letting you go this late, especially not injured. I was planning to order take out. Join us for dinner and you can spend the night here."

Percy stole a glance at Peter, who seemingly shared his aunt's opinion about not leaving. Her tone didn't sound comprimising anyway, so what choice did he have?

"If it isn't too much trouble..."

"It's not." May said more kindly "You can use the bathroom to wash up before dinner. I'll give you a towel and something clean to change into. Hold on..." she said briskly before marching off, leaving the two boys alone.

"This seems like a bad idea. What if she asks questions?" Percy whispered.

Peter shrugged carelessly in return "Wing it? You would have had to meet her at some point. This is as good as time as any."

"Maybe...but...about earlier..."

Peter held up a hand and sighed wearily "We'll talk about it later." his heart still hadn't calmed down anyway. Percy nodded dumbly, disappointed at the turn of events, waiting for May to return.

She asked what they would like to eat, and since sushi was out of question (Percy winced quite noticably when she suggested seafood), they settled on Indian. Percy called her mother on Peter's phone to let her know he was okay and will be staying over, then took a quick shower to wash off the dirt, taking extra care not to wet his bandages, and put on the sweatpants and shirt May had given him. He joined Peter and his aunt in the kitchen once he was dry, the food already steaming on the table in cardbox contaners, making his mouth water. May watched astonished as Percy started practically gulping down food, while Peter merely chuckled amused.

"So. Boys, how did the two of you meet? You look much older than my Peter." May asked as they were about to finish off their meals.

"Not that much older. Percy's eighteen." Peter said nervously.

"Still, I wonder how the two of you became friends..."

"Well...that was..." Percy glanced at Peter for help.

"Percy's a swimmer." Peter blurted out, which wasn't a lie "He...uh...had a swimming competition at my school. Ned and I decided to go and watch and, um. We ran into each other after that and started talking about stuff."

"Really?" she didn't seem convinced, but chose to move on, feeling she wouldn't get a better explanation anyway "Who won the competition?" she asked instead.

"Percy's team. He is really good." he had seen Percy swim before, so he knew what he was talking about. When Percy swam he looked like he was more fit moving in water than on the ground, not that he was clumsy on land.

"That's nice." May smiled "Are you planning to be a professional swimmer then?" she asked Percy curiously.

"No, I don't think so. I mean, I love swimming, but it's not a carreer I would choose. I work as a part-time assistant at a summer camp, and I found I enjoy working with children a lot. I want to apply to college and become a gym teacher." Peter listened to Percy talk about his plans, equally as curious as his aunt. He had never thought of asking Percy what he wanted to do later in his life. Though, he could very well see Percy as a teacher.

"So you have serious plans. Some people go out in life without much of an idea what they want to do with themselves." May smiled approvingly. Percy returned the smile and nodded.

There wasn't too much talking after that, they finished dinner, cleaned the boxes away and put the leftovers in the fridge. Surprisingly, the dinner was less awkward and less catastrophic than Peter would have thought it would be, and his aunt didn't pry on their friendship any more than a concerned parent would. She seemed to approve of Percy, which made Peter feel a lot calmer during the evening. May fixed the couch for Percy to sleep on and went to bed early, saying goodnight to the boys, left standing in the livingroom in silence.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Peter asked uncertainly.

"I guess it could have been worse." Percy admitted. He felt uneasy in the drawn out silence, more used to Peter constantly talking or otherwise just enjoying each other's company so much so that neither of them had to say anything. "I'm sorry Peter." he said quietly to break the silence, frowning as he watched Peter fidget with his hands "I was way out of line earlier. I just...I really do like you, and I want to be close to you. Gods...you have no idea how much." he shook his head frowning "There I go again." he sighed, taking Peter's hands. They made him lose focus with their constant movement. "What I'm trying to say is, you don't have to do anything you are not comfortable with. I understand if you don't think about me like that, or you don't think we could work out--" Peter huffed as Percy continued rambling his worries, staring intensely at their joined hands.

"Percy?" this made the demigod stop and look up at Peter's face in surprise.

"Yes?" he asked in a small voice, insides twisting in fear of rejection.

"Shut up." Peter's voice was affectionate and his smile amused. Percy nodded and shut his mouth, face red in embarrassment. "You weren't out of line. I have deeper feelings for you as well, and in case you forgot, I've already told you this much, and I let you kiss me, we just got interrupted." he pointed out.

Percy let out a shaky laugh "Yeah. That's true." he paused, watching Peter's smile stretch even further, butterflies flapping in his stomach at the sight "Does that mean...that I get to finish now what we started before?" he asked with a nervous smile.

"If you still want to." Peter smiled back. He felt strangely at ease with the thought, definitely less nervous, even when Percy stepped closer to him and leaned down, one hand coming to gently guide their faces together, eyes fluttering closed as Percy finally connected their lips. It was tender and sweet, and it made Peter's body humm in content, completely melting in the demigod's hands. Peter's lips were just as soft and felt just as good, if not better, against Percy's as he thought they would. It was the perfect first kiss, Peter decided. They broke apart smiling, both ridiculously happy, noses touching and breaths mingling.

"It's late. Let's go to bed for today." Peter said softly.

"Yeah. You are right." Percy only then noticed how tired he felt, how tight his muscles felt when he moved, looking a bit dreadfully at the couch. Sitting on it was one thing, but it didn't look comfortable to sleep on. Percy could almost feel the back pain that would surely come after spending the night on it.

"You could sleep with me if you want." Peter offered, as if sensing the demigod's thoughts, flushing pink when he realised how he had worded the offer "I mean, share my bed. Not 'sleep with me' but sleep in my bed, like sleep next to me--" Percy hugged him closer with an amused smile.

"I get it, Peter." he chuckled "But that would be inappropriate, and I would be pushing my luck. Still, I appreciate the offer, very much." he nuzzled Peter's cheek, making the younger boy smile in return.

"Okay. Well, good night. I'll see you in the morning then." he pressed his face into the crook of Percy's neck and hugged him, comforted by the warmth of the demigod as he was hugged back by strong arms, before he stepped back and went to his own bedroom.

"Good night." Percy called after him quietly, smiling to himself. He still felt the lingering weight of Peter's lips on his mouth. He licked his lips fondly.

This boy made him feel silly but warm at the same time, so he didn't mind making a fool of himself. He climbed on the couch with a weary sigh and got as comfortable as he could muster. He knew it would hurt in the morning, the thought of sleeping curled around Peter drifting to the front of his mind before he let sleep take him over, a small smile on his face as he drifted off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have a shorter update with more fluff :D  
> I honestly have no idea what I'm doing, so there's that. Also, I know my writing is not very good, and I'm constantly looking for ways to improve. Forgive me if there are grammatical or spelling errors too. English is not my native language so I tend to mess up a lot.
> 
> Anyway, I'm just rambling here. If you enjoyed this by some kind of miracle, let me know if you'd like to read more.
> 
> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated as always :3


	7. Chapter 7

Peter was running, somewhere. He couldn't see where. It was dark, pitch black void everywhere he looked, but his feet were touching solid ground. Even so, when he looked down, all he could see was darkness, and that made him scared beyond anything else, made him run faster, though he wasn't sure he was even getting anywhere by running. All he knew was that he had to run, or at least try. He saw a flash of light ahead, so he plunged towards it the fastest he could. As he got closer he reached out with his hand, as if he could touch it, but before he could touch it the light became so bright he couldn't bear to look at it anymore. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, he wasn't in that dark void anymore. It was still relatively dark, but he could see the ground under his feet, huge stone pillars in the dim lighting, but no walls. Thick fog or mist, he couldn't tell, fell heavily on the ground around him, so thick it made hard to see further than a few feet ahead, not that there was anything to see. Peter took tentative steps ahead, less sure to move, even though he could see now. Somehow running into nothing seemed less scary than wandering somewhere he could easily run into something if he wasn't careful. As he moved forward slowly, he could finally make out a blurry man shape ahead in the distance. His spirit rose and his steps quickened.

"Hello?" Peter called out uncertainly. The shape didn't move or respond, but it sharpened, by now leaning against a table, legs crossed.

Peter frowned, but didn't stop. If anything, it made him quicken his pace again. The man now started to become recognisable, so much so that Peter's breath caught in his throat. He was mere meters away by now, but his body felt frozen. It wasn't just any man, it was Liz's father.

It was the Vulture.

He was speaking in that cool and collected, calculated manner of his. His words were gentle as a father's, but icy and hollow at the same time. Excuses for the things he had done, to protect his family, to get back at Tony. Everything was recognisable now. He was standing in the dimly lit warehouse on the night of the Homecoming ball, in his old suit. Small and volnurable, just a fifteen year old kid in a red hoodie, merely playing at hero.

Peter shut his eyes and covered his ears. He couldn't stand to listen to that voice, knowing what was going to happen. He could hear the man uncross his legs and stand, grab his gloves from the table, warning Peter to stand back, stay away from his business. He could hear the sound of the Vulture machine coming for him, but he stood where he was, trembling, tears swelling in his eyes. He only dared to open his eyes when everything suddenly became silent, hoping that this time maybe things would be different. He was alone, the small amount of light creeping in above illuminating the warehouse, floating clouds of dust in the air everywhere.

Then a loud crack, and everything came apart at once.

Peter saw the ceiling crumble and he was being pushed down by an incredibly big force, the world dark around him once again. When he came to, he was laying under the weight of the stone building, barely able to breathe. He looked into the puddle of water under him, and saw himself, the same broken and miserable boy he always saw himself as. This time there was no pep talk for himself, no thinking that he was any better than this. He just continued to sob and shake.

Then suddenly he wasn't under the collapsed building anymore. He was standing in front of the spot he had been occupying moments before, but he could see somebody else in there. His eyes widened as he recognised Percy, bruised and bloody, face crunched up in pain, eyes barely open and watery, pleading as he looked up at Peter.

Peter felt his stomach take a double take, tightening and twisting. He tried to rush to Percy's side, but his legs wouldn't move. He reached out with his hands, but he was too far. He felt tears sting his eyes, the building pushing Percy even lower, slowly crushing him. Peter was shouting and wailing, cursing whoever made him see this, pleading to let him go and help the demigod. He stiffened and froze when he saw Percy's mouth move for the first time.

"Peter..." he said faintly, and it made Peter's heart break to a million pieces. "Peter?" Percy said again, and Peter couldn't take it anymore. He willed his eyes to close, tears steadily flowing. He could hear Percy call his name, but he just shook his head.

"I'm sorry!" Peter sobbed "I'm so sorry! I'm sorry. So sorry." he kept chanting, as if praying, but more to mask Percy's broken voice.

"Peter? Peter!" Peter kept shaking his head, hands pressed to his eyes, but Percy's voice was getting stronger by the second, and he could feel someone gripping his shoulders. "Peter! Please! Peter wake up!" Peter frowned confused behind his hands. Wake up? He removed his hands and opened his eyes, Percy's concerned face coming into view.  
"Peter, it's okay. It was just a dream." Percy loosened his grip on his shoulder, rubbing gentle circles with his thumbs.

"Dream?" Peter slurred, looking around wearily in the dark room. Then he remembered, eyes widening in fear. To Percy's confusion, he burst into tears and flunged himself at the demigod. He shook and sobbed into Percy's neck, clutching desperately, so relieved he thought he might faint.

"You are here...you are here..." Peter sobbed brokenly, so happy to have his arms around the hero, the picture of his broken expression still vivid in his memory. Percy wrapped his arms around him and held him close, heart aching for the boy.

"I'm here. I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere." he assured the shaking teen, rubbing cirles on the small of his back, pressing kisses on his temple and cheek "It was only a dream. It's okay." he held Peter until his sobs died down and his breathing sounded less like someone choking on air. Peter sighed and sniffed, pushing himself slightly back.

"Better?" Percy pushed a strand of sweaty hair from his eyes, puffy and red from crying, just like his cheeks. Even then, he looked too beautiful to comprehend.

"Y-Yes. Thank you." Peter said shakily, wiping his face with the back of his hand. Percy swatted his hand away gently and used the hem of his shirt to wipe his face clean. The gentle and affectionate gesture made Peter's heart swell, despite his earlier breakdown. He looked at the clock on his bedside table, only two am in the morning, everything still dark. He felt guilty for waking Percy.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Percy asked carefully, cradling the younger boy's face in his hand. Peter bit his lip uncertainly, not sure about that himself, but then made up his mind and gave a shaky nod.

"I...I had the same dream...with the Vulture and that warehouse." Percy nodded, remembering well how it went. It made his heart clench painfully to think that Peter had to relive that scene so many times, even if they were just nightmares. "B-But..." Peter trembled, and fresh drops of tears rolled down his red cheeks "T-This time I saw y-you." he hicupped a sob "Instead of m-me, you w-were trapped and-- and I couldn't d-do anything to help you. I was so scared Percy! I-I thought I was going to lose you. I thought you were going to--" he shook his head, refusing to even think about that, and took deep breaths, sniffed loudly, trying his best not to break down again.

"Oh Peter...' Percy hugged him "It was only a dream. I'm here, and I'm okay." he pulled back and took Peter's shaking hand, placing it on his heart "See? I'm fine." he smiled encouragingly. Peter pressed his palm more firmly next to Percy's sternum, feeling the steady beating under his fingers.

"Yeah...okay." Peter nodded and smiled a little, but didn't retrieve his hand.

"You should go back to sleep, Pete." Percy tucked a lock of hair behind Peter's ear, smiling when he felt him lean into the touch. So fragile and cute looking, yet so strong and fierce at the same time.

"Will you stay with me?" Peter asked hopefully, lip caught between his teeth.

"I don't know...what would your aunt think?" Percy shook his head, but made no move to go, Peter still perched on his lap, a comforting weight on his legs. In truth he wanted nothing more than to take Peter in his arms, safe and content, and keep him there as long as he could. But that would have been selfish and just wrong, with his not so friendly feelings for the boy.

"Aunt May won't come in here, and she leaves early anyway. Please?" Peter clutched his shirt and looked up at him desperately with big shiny doe eyes, shimmering and wet. It made Percy's heart quicken just by looking at him. It wasn't fair at all. He couldn't say no to him when Peter looked at him like that.

Percy sighed defeated "Alright. I'll stay." he chuckled lightly as Peter smiled wide, pulling him back on his bed to lie facing each other. He reached out and placed his hand on Peter's waist, heart skipping a beat when Peter's eyelids fluttered a little, smile softening. He scooted closer to Percy, faces only a breath apart.

"Thank you...You are so kind and patient with me. Sometimes I feel like I don't deserve it." Peter whispered and reached out to touch Percy's face, from his forehead to his brow, his cheek, tracing a thin pink scar that ran from the corner of his mouth to his jaw. Percy felt a little insecure about his scars, and nervously wondered what Peter might be thinking. He knew they weren't pretty, and they were always a cold reminder of his failures, but he felt warmth spread through him when Peter leaned close and pressed a tender kiss next to his mouth, over the scar. The little gesture meant more to him than Peter could have ever imagined. It made him smile stupidly.

"You deserve every bit of kindness I can give you, Peter. Believe me. You mean so much to me." the emotion behind his words made his voice crack, but he didn't care. Not when Peter smiled so affectionately at him, his gaze so loving.

Peter then leaned back in, this time pressing his mouth firmly on the demigod's, determined despite being inexperienced. It sent a shiver down Percy's spine and heart soaring. It lasted longer than their first kiss, and it stole Percy's breath away.

"Let's get some sleep, huh?" Peter asked playfully, if a bit breathlessly, when he pulled back.

"Good idea." Percy answered equally as breathlessly, maybe even more. He smiled to himself as Peter rolled to his other side, cuddling against his chest. Percy wrapped an arm around Peter's waist, hand instinctively going under his shirt to place it on his bare stomach. It was an intimate gesture, and he felt Peter tense a little against him, which made him panic, but then the younger boy relaxed shortly and put his hand over Percy's, snuggling even further against the older teen. Percy marvelled over how perfectly Peter fit against him, and couldn't help but feel drowsy and sleepy as their combined bodyheat eveloped them.

"Good night Perce." he heard Peter mumble sleepily.

"Good night Peter." Percy pressed a soft kiss on the back of his neck before settling down comfortably. He had almost forgotten how nice it felt to have a warm body next to him, to hold someone in his sleep, even so knowing it was Peter. Adorable, nerdy and incredibly smart, brave, loyal, honest, so caring and conscientious Peter Parker. So soft looking but so fierce and passionate.

"Oh Peter...what am I going to do with you?" Percy sighed and pressed a kiss on Peter's shoulder.

"I think I love you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Have some more fluff, because nowadays I feel too tired and stressed to write anything more progressive to the story, not to mention that I still have no plan for this story and don't know what I'm doing. Plus I really wanted these dorks to have some more emotional bonding. Also, sorry for making poor Peter cry, but it was a necessary evil.
> 
> Anyway, let me know if you'd like to read more once I put myself together.
> 
> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated as always :>


	8. Chapter 8

Peter woke feeling warm and content, his sleep dreamless as far as he was concerned. He felt a warm palm on his stomach and small puffs of air ghosting the back of his neck, sending small shivers down his spine. He shifted lazily, smiling a little when he felt the hand on his abdomen twitch, then settle back again. The clock on his nightstand showed a little past 7 am. May was probably already gone, he mused. Peter felt bad for her, having to take a shift even on a Saturday.

He closed his eyes sighing, his hand moving to gently stroke the hand draped over his belly, a body coming to snuggle up tightly behind him. Percy was very big and sturdy against him, but somehow soft and comforting at the same time, very warm. Instead of air, a pair of lips ghosted Peter's neck now, making his skin prickle with nerves. It wasn't unpleasant, if anything, it made Peter's body react positively, which right then would probably have embarrassed the younger boy. He patted the hand he was stroking previously and gently moved it over and behind himself, carefully wriggling out of bed. Peter froze in motion when Percy screw up his face in a very adorably confused way, but thankfully didn't wake. Peter exhaled in relief, tiptioeing from his room to the bathroom to wash his teeth and refresh himself. He felt well rested, which was a miracle, seeing the fashion he unintentionally woke the demigod in the middle of a nightmare. He washed his face and quietly moved to the kitchen.

He decided he would make Percy breakfast, so he opened the fridge and poked his head inside for ingredients. There wasn't much to choose from, but there were some eggs and relatively fresh vegtables, a few pieces of bacon he could make use of. He took out everything he deemed usable and put on the counter next to the stove, got salt and spices from a cupboard, got a pan ready and buttered. Before he began making the food he cleaned the dining table and draped a fresh tablecloth on the surface, then took out plates and cutlery. He cut up the vegetables; onions, tomatoes, radishes into small bite sized pieces and set them on the table with some cut up bread, a few pieces toasted. He then cracked some eggs into a bowl and mixed them together thoroughly, then seasoned the egg mixture with the salt and spices. It was sort of relaxing to do work like that from time to time, creating something that would surely please a person he cared about.

He was so immersed in his work as he set the eggs to cook, scrambling them with a spatula and flipping bacon pieces, that he didn't notice Percy emerging from the bathroom. The demigod smiled warmly at the younger teen, watching him softly hum under his breath as he cooked the eggs and meat. The scene made him feel oddly pleased, Peter's hair still tousled from bed, cheeks pink and smile happy, sleeping clothes hanging loosely on his lean figure, feet bare in his slippers. It was domestic in a sense Percy would have liked to be a regular occurence, though he knew it was a far fetched dream at best. Percy soundlessly slipped behind Peter and slid his hands around the younger boy's waist, smirking as the boy yelped and jumped in his hands.

"Percy! For the love of everything that's holy, you scared me!" Peter huffed and pouted, heart pounding. Percy pecked his cheek apologetically and laid his head on the shorter boy's shoulder as he resumed cooking, watching the movement of his hands.

"Sorry Pete. You just looked so soft and cute. I couldn't help myself." Percy smiled gently. Peter huffed again and rolled his eyes with no real heat.

"You could have said something instead of giving me a heart attack." Percy only snorted amused, fingers drawing circles on Peter's skin under his shirt. Peter refused to acknowledge how nice it felt, and nope, he did not just sigh in content. Definitely not.

"And where is the fun in that?" he had the same cocky smile tugging at his lips that made Peter blush. It always made the demigod look wicked and unfairly handsome. It didn't fail to make Peter flustered even then. He knew Percy noticed, the bastard, because his smile grew even wider.

"Shut up." Peter grumbled, Percy chuckling amused, as he shut off the stove and moved to the table, splitting the eggs and bacon into half on the two empty plates.

"Want any coffee? Tea?" Peter asked as he set the empty pan back on the stove.

"No, thank you. I don't drink coffee, you know, I'm hyper enough," Peter smiled and nodded "and I don't like the taste of tea in general. A glass of water would be nice though."

"Same. Water it is then." Peter grinned and motioned for Percy to sit while he took out two glasses and filled them with water, then set them on the table before he took his seat as well.

"Thanks." Percy accepted the glass with a small smile "Everything smells and looks great. You really didn't have to do all this." he said as he looked the table over.

Peter merely shrugged with a smile of his own "It's no big deal. I like cooking. Especially for the people I care about." his smile turned a bit shy, cheeks tinted red. The sight melted Percy's heart, chest filled with warmth. He beamed back at the younger boy before they began to eat. The eggs and bacon were nicely seasoned and tasty, very pleasant with the crispy toast, the water and vegetables cold and refreshing. They munched their breakfast in comfortable silence and cleaned away everything together when they were done.

"This was really nice. I didn't know you could cook." Percy commented as they cleaned off the table from dirty plates and crumbs of bread. Peter blushed and ducked his head.

"Well, I can't exactly live on pizza and hotdogs, you know. I felt bad for a long time for being a bother to Aunt May and--" he cleared his throat "To Aunt May, so I asked her to teach me to cook some, then I went ahead and tried other stuff on my own. It was just breakfast now, nothing special really. I'm glad you liked it though."

"I would love to taste more of your cooking, that is, If you don't mind making more food for me." Percy took the plates from Peter and set them in the sink. Peter felt a jolt of excitement at the idea.

"Really?" he asked timidly but excited.

"Yeah, I really like this. I feel like I got to a see a different side of you just now. I feel closer to you already." Percy was standing directly in front of Peter now, making the shorter boy wonder how much closer he wanted to get exactly. The thought sent tingles down his spine.

"Then I'll be glad to cook for you." Peter beamed brightly. Percy had to smile back, the younger boy's enthusiasm and sparkling eyes giving him butterflies every time.

"I'm looking forward to that." he put his arms around Peter's waist and nuzzled his cheek. Peter giggled and put his hands on his shoulders, then slid his hands to Percy's neck, playing with his hair. It was soft to the touch and made Percy lean more against him, so he buried his fingers fully into his untamed hair, massaging his scalp gently. It seemed even messier then, probably from the bed, though Peter couldn't imagine the demigod care much about how his hair looked in general. He probably didn't even bother with it and left it as it was, besides sweeping it to one side. Peter smiled as Percy shuddered a little against him. When he pulled back Percy was breathing a little faster and his cheeks were a bit pink.

"It's okay to kiss me, you know." Peter smiled, proud that he had this effect on Percy "I won't break." he promised.

"I know. I just don't want to rush you." Percy bit his lip.

"You are not rushing anything." Peter shook his head "And I asked you to kiss me anyway." he could see that the hero was still hesistant, so he grabbed Percy's cheeks with both hands and stood a little on his toes to press their lips together. Percy was quick to balance him, returning the kiss eagerly. Peter made a small noise in the back of his throat when Percy poked out his tongue to softly trace his lips, silently asking for entrance. Peter felt his body melt against the demigod's as he opened his mouth, shivering when Percy's hot tongue found his. Peter scarely knew what to do with his own tongue, but Percy didn't complain, he tugged him closer, his hand slipping under the hem of Peter's shirt, palm and fingers trailing slowly up on his spine. Peter moaned softly, the small hairs on his back standing where Percy had dragged his calloused fingers across the sensitive skin.

"Percy." Peter moaned breathlessly as they broke apart, the demigod's lips leaving burning and tingling skin where he prepped his cheeks and neck with kisses.

"You are so cute." Percy murmured into his neck, lips curled into a small smile.

"Am not." Percy snorted at the weak protest, nuzzling Peter's neck fondly. Peter blinked, the cloud slowly clearing from his mind "But, as much as I enjoy what we are currently doing, we have to talk about the monsters who attacked you yesterday."

Percy gave a weary sigh and let Peter go sadly. "I was afraid you might say that soon. Can't we just go back to hugging and kissing?" Peter looked unimpressed, hands on his waist and one eyebrow raised. "Alright, fine. Let's just sit down, okay?" Peter rolled his eyes but followed the demigod to the livingroom, taking a seat next to him on the couch. Peter didn't say anything, only continued to look at Percy expectantly, who frowned and crossed his arms defensively "Stop looking at me like that."

"Like what?" Peter asked innocently enough to make Percy huff.

"I know, I got my ass handed to myself by monsters. I have done nothing, nothing's new about these stupid things attacking me." Peter smiled a little and scooted closer to the demigod to put his hand on Percy's arm soothingly.

"I didn't say you have done anything wrong, but you can't avoid the topic forever." Peter sighed and shook his head "I also know you don't want to make a big deal out of this." Percy looked away, hands fidgeting in his lap, shoulders hanging low "I know you don't want this to be big. You want to be left alone, and I completely understand that. But you can't let this go on for long. You have to put and end to this soon, or it will only get worse. It's already bad as it is." Peter said not ungently.

"Gods...I know this much myself." Percy groaned and ran his palms over his face "But I don't--" he swallowed thickly "I don't want this to be another battle of Manhattan. I don't want to be the defender of Olympus again, I don't want to deal with this." the desperation and frustration in his voice made Peter's heart hurt for the demigod "I want to be normal. I want to go to college and then teach kids. Is that so much to ask?" he frowned hard, the muscles in his face tight with tension "I want to be with you." the last part was barely a whisper, but Peter heard it like it was spoken from a loud speaker.

"And I want that for you too. Believe me, I do. But I worry about you. Every time you are late for our meetings, or we are just apart, I wonder when will be the next time you get jumped by these monsters. It pains me, and I--" Peter took a shaky breath "Ever since--" he bit his lip "Ever since Uncle Ben died," Percy looked at him in surprise and shock. He hadn't heared him say that name since the night he told Percy about how he became Spiderman. "I can't help but think...will I lose you too? Will I not be able to do anything about it just like the last time?" tears threatened to fall, but he willed them away. He needed to be strong now. Percy was searching his face, expression pained but sympathetic, considering.

"I'm sorry..." he finally said, voice heavy "I know I make you worry, and I feel guilty about it...but I can't do this alone all over again...I'm tired." his eyes were big and wet, his always lively orbs now a dull green, cheeks pink and lower lip caught between his teeth. Percy had helped and comforted him countless times before. He was there for him when noone else could and saved his life. Peter knew it was time for him to do the same for Percy, to support him.

Peter squeezed his arm "You are not alone Percy. You have me. Always. Whatever these monsters want from you, we are going to figure it out. Together." he smiled a little.

Percy just looked at him for a long time, but then he pulled the younger boy into his arms and squeezed him. Peter felt hot tears run from Percy's cheeks onto his neck and shirt. He wrapped his arms around the demigod and hugged him tight, letting him know he was there, and he was not going anywhere. "I promise to do whatever you need me to do to help you."

"Thank you..." his voice was low and muffled by Peter's shoulder, but it was okay. Peter just held him more fiercely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More fluff! :D  
> Not like anybody asked for it xd But what can I say? I'm a sucker for fluff.   
> Though, in the meantime, I'm thinking of ways to move the story forward, so my next update might take longer to come out. I want it to be longer than these past shorter ones.  
> Also, may the gods forgive me, for I have sinned, for making Percy cry. Again, it was a necessary evil.
> 
> Let me know if you'd like to read more of my weird stories. :D
> 
> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated as always <:


	9. Chapter 9

Peter shifted in his seat awkwardly as Percy talked, icy and calculating grey eyes watching him like one of Tony's scanners, peering to the depths of his soul, making him feel strangely naked and volnurable.

"So that's what happened. I know you said monsters are bothering you too and I-- we, were wondering if it's anything like my situation." Percy told the daughter of Athena sitting across from them at a table, in the small diner they chose to meet up at close to Percy's home.

"I can't deny that some monsters tried to ambush me several times, even more so than usually, but never as large in numbers as they did with you, and I never got actually injured." Annabeth's eyes softened in concern as she shifted her gaze to Percy.

"Then it's definitely not good, right?" Peter bit his lip when Annabeth looked at him again, still with that look.

"No, I would say that's very worrying." Annabeth agreed "You should have come to me sooner, Seaweed Brain." she shook her head "Chiron has to hear about this. I haven't been to camp for a while now. I'd say this is an appropriate time for a visit, for the both of us." she said sternly, tone confident and not allowing objections.

"I know...I just didn't want to make a big deal out of something that wasn't really important." Percy looked at his hands on the table with a guilty frown.

"I understand, Perce, you know that." she said softly, then turned her attention back to Peter "What is your relationship like by the way, the two of you?" she raised an eyebrow "I've never seen you with Percy, you seem young and very different from the people he usually hangs out with." she said blankly.

"Um...well...we..." Peter stuttered, not sure what he was supposed to tell her. They haven't really established anything since their last kiss in Peter's livingroom, and that was days ago. Percy sometimes held his hand and they cuddled whenever they could, but the son of Poseidon hadn't made a move on him otherwise. Should he tell her that? Was that a secret? Did she know that Percy was also into guys? Things like that ran through his mind on high speed until Percy put an arm around him and pulled him closer. Peter looked up at him startled, Percy smiling gently at him before turning his attention back to Annabeth.

"We are not sure about a lot of things, but we like each other a lot. I like him a lot. So stop scaring him, Wise Girl." Percy huffed as he chided gently. Peter smiled a little, unconsciously snuggling closer to the demigod.

Annabeth hummed in acknowledgement, watching amused the lovesick puppies in front of her. She didn't look the least surprised to Peter, but he couldn't be sure with her. "Sorry. But you can't blame me for being suspicious. Comes with being a halfblood, you could say. But back to our problem at hand, are you planning to bring Peter to camp as well?"

"I don't know." Percy looked uncertainly at the boy under his arm "We haven't talked about this, but I'm sure Chiron would let you in if we asked. Would you like to come?"

Would he? He had been intrigued by that camp ever since Percy told him about it, but Annabeth's current reaction to him made him worry that the other campers wouldn't be so welcoming. Especially the other members of the seven heroes of the prophecy Percy talked about the most. Still...if Percy wanted him there...

"I'd love to, but...wouldn't that be troublesome? I mean, I'm not a demigod..."

"The border won't be a problem. It only keeps monsters out. If Percy has told you everything about us, then I don't think anybody would mind." Annabeth assured Peter with a softer expression.

"Then I want to support Percy, in any way possible. I'm going." Peter nodded with a determined look. Percy was the most important right now. He would just have to suck it up if the campers didn't like him.

Percy smiled, chest warm with gratitude. He had no idea he would depend so much on Peter after the night he had spent at his apartment, but now the younger boy's presence was very reassuring and comforting, and he couldn't imagine it being any other way.

"It's settled then." Annabeth nodded and turned to Percy again "I wanted to talk to you about one more thing." she frowned a little, in a manner that could have been confusion or irritation, Peter wasn't sure.

"What's wrong? Did something else happen?" Percy knit his brows together in concern.

"I got an interesting call from Tony Stark not long ago." Peter tensed against Percy as Annabeth told them about the phone call "He seemed quite interested in you in particular. Is there something else I should know about?" she raised an eyebrow.

Percy cleared his throat awkwardly, Annabeth's gaze feeling like cold ice on his skin "I'm not sure why he would ask you about me." he lied, though Annabeth only narrowed her eyes unimpressed. Sometimes she legit scared Percy, friend or no friend.

Peter didn't like the look she was giving Percy either, lips drawn in a thin line. He sighed and decided it was best to make everything clear "Percy didn't do anything. Tony called you because of me." Peter said quietly. Annabeth lifted a curious eyebrow.

"Is that so? And why would he call me on your behalf?" Peter gulped. Annabeth was pretty, but very scary. Weren't nerds and smart people supposed to be not as attractive as her? That seemed unfair. Then again, being the daughter of the wisdom and battle tactics godess probably had this effect. Peter found it incredibly amusing when Percy had told him that all children of Athena were generally blonde, making fun of the 'dumb blonde' stereotype. He had realised he liked Annabeth a lot even before meeting her, and now he feared she might not like him. Or kill him with her eyes. Whichever.

He looked around them to make sure nobody was listening. There were very few people in the diner, and the waiter was busy cleaning tables to notice, at least he hoped. Once he was sure enough that they weren't heard, he leaned slightly closer across the table and folded his hands nervously.

"Peter you don't have to--" Percy started but Peter cut him off.

"It's fine Percy. I want to." Annabeth looked very curious by then, gaze shifting from Percy to Peter.

Peter cleared his throat and took a shaky breath "Y-You see," he began quietly "Tony is my mentor and my idol. He...he is very concerned about me and feels like he has to protect me."

"Why would he feel that way?" the daughter of Athena eyed him suspiciously.

"W-Well," Peter wet his lips "That's because he invited me last year, to join a group of people with great abilities. A group you must know already, it's called the Avengers. At the time they weren't really one team, because of a conflict between the members, so Tony found me and recruited me to his team. It had been resolved by now though."

"So what you are trying to say is that you are Spiderman." Annabeth lifted an eyebrow as Peter just stared her, eyes comically wide. Percy chuckled amused, the effect Annabeth had on people entertained him every time, especially when it wasn't himself that was dumbfounded by her.

"H-How did you know?" Peter asked breathlessly.

"I deduced." Annabeth answered with a smirk "Not hard to piece together, anyway. But if that's something that worries you, your secret is safe with me."

"That's true. Sometimes I trust Annabeth more than myself. You can count on her." Percy said proudly.

Annabeth snorted and rolled her eyes, though her expression was soft once again. Peter couldn't help but notice how different she acted when it came to Percy.

"T-Thank you." Peter stuttered, both scared of and amazed by her.

"No problem." Annabeth nodded with a small smirk "Well, as much as I enjoy your and your boyfriend's company Seaweed Brain, I have some homework and studying to do." she abruptly rose. Peter blinked dumbly, flushing red at the word 'boyfriend'. Why didn't Percy correct her?

"Same. I have a history essay due in two days and I haven't even started yet." Peter stammered and untangled himself from Percy and rose as well.

"You are both so boring." Percy pouted and huffed.

"Don't tell me you have no homework to do." Peter quirked an eyebrow in challenge.

"Well..."

"Thought so." Peter and Annabeth both chuckled.

"That's not fair! You can't team up against me." Percy looked between the two.

"I don't know Percy, I think I like him more. I might just switch best friends. He definitely seems to evaluate science more than you." Annabeth slang an arm around a startled but amused Peter's shoulders.

"Percy told me you are into architecture." Peter said shyly as they turned to walk in the direction of the door.

"Why, I am." Annabeth smiled winningly.

"Nerds!" Percy called after them as they left the diner still leaning against each other, Peter asking Annabeth about her work on the city she designed on Olympus after the war against Kronos. Percy smiled affectionately at his friends, happy and relieved that they got along afterall.

"See you both around. Let me know when you are ready to go to camp. It was nice to meet you Peter." Annabeth bid them both goodbye out on the street.

"Wow." was all Peter said as he watched her go, her blonde ponytail bouncing and swaying as she went. She was definitely an intimidating person to be around, kind of like Natasha, and she was clearly very smart, but she didn't seem like a bad person. Not that Peter could believe that Percy would have friends that weren't good people in general.

"I know right?" Percy laughed and bumped his shoulder playfully "Need a ride home?"

"Yes, that would be nice. Wanna stay over and watch a movie? That essay can wait a little more." Peter asked as he dumped his backpack on the backseat of Percy's car.

"I'm down. Is your aunt good with that though? We could crash at my place too."

"She works late again." Peter sighed glumly, strapping his seatbelt in the passenger seat securely.

Percy hummed as he started up the engine "I'm starting to think that you just don't want to be alone and need someone to warm your bed." he smirked, wriggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"You are so ridiculous." Peter snorted and shoved him lightly "Just stop." he rolled his eyes and turned to look out of the window instead, cheeks pink.

Percy laughed and backed out of the parking lot, and then they were off in the direction of Peter's house.

  
"Do you think she really likes me?" Peter worried his lower lip between his teeth as they stepped inside his apartment. He didn't want Percy's friends to dispise him, especially one of his best friends he trusted a lot.

"Annabeth? Sure. She said so." Percy shrugged and took off his jacket to hang it by the door next to Peter's.

"What if she just didn't want to upset you?"

Percy frowned, hearing how nervous Peter actually sounded. He sighed, stepping to stand in front of the younger teen and rest his hands on his hips. He hated it when Peter was unnecessarily hard on himself or felt insecure for no good reason. He was younger, that was probably a major cause of his increased amount of insecurities, but Peter was just too pure in general and he had to make sure he hadn't done anything wrong to anyone. He looked cute, with his brows hunched together and red lip caught between his teeth, but the sight also made Percy's heart hurt.

"Peter, you know that's not true. She likes you, believe me. I could see it. She never says things just to please others either. I've known her far longer than you, so you will have to believe me." he rubbed circles on Peter's hips in slow motions "Besides. Who could not just love an adorable face like yours? Hmm?" he nuzzled into his cheek.

Peter blushed and smiled a little "Now you are just buttering me up."

"I'm being honest." Percy pressed a soft kiss on his forehead. Peter turned pink to the tip of his ears, and tried his best to hide this fact by pressing his face into Percy's torso, but he was having none of it. He gently lifted Peter's chin and prepped his face with kisses, making Peter giggle soflty. He pressed featherly kisses on his cheeks, his temple, his forehead, his nose, his eyelids when they fluttered closed, then on the corner of his mouth. "You will eventually have to believe me when I tell you that you are beautiful." he murmured softly when Peter's eyes slowly opened, warm and brown, bright, but still shy and unsure. Percy gently stroked his red cheek with his thumb, smiling without meaning to when Peter leaned into the touch. "Do you beleieve me now?"

Peter averted his eyes again, so Percy leaned down to press their mouths snugly together, relishing in the slightly surprised but pleased sound Peter made in the back of his throat, the feeling of the shorter boy wrapping his arms around his neck to tangle his fingers in his hair. He hummed in approval and pulled Peter closer, hands roaming his sides under his shirt as their mouths slid together. He was even more pleased when it was Peter who initiated the usage of their tongues, appreciating his boldness despite being a little clumsy. It was still unbelievably sweet, Peter's lips soft and mouth hot. He had to use all of his willpower to keep his hands on Peter's upper body, though he was making it really hard for him with all those little sounds he made while they kissed. They broke apart panting, both pleasantly out of breath.

"You are so gorgeous." Percy whispered into the space between their lips "Let me hear that you believe me."

"Okay, I do." Peter laughed a little breathlessly, stomach filled with butterflies fluttering around, warm and content. The things Percy said made him feel really happy, the way he complimented him without a second thought. Percy beamed and pecked his lips one last time before he let go completely.

They ended up watching Coco huddled together on the couch under a blanket, munching on popcorn, Peter resting comfortably against Percy, unable to get cozy without hugging the demigod. Percy couldn't stop touching and cuddling him either, one hand always curled around his waist, which Peter didn't seem to mind at all. If anything, Peter just craved this closeness more and more with each day, as it seemed, surprised even himself, as he had never been one for physicality with anyone besides May and Ned. Even with them, his physical interactions went only as far as hugs and handshakes, occasional fistbumps. But somehow Percy made him feel safe, and his touches spoke of adoration and want, which also thrilled Peter, because let's be real. He never thought an attractive guy like the son of Poseidon would even look at him more than for two seconds at best. And the fact that they just clicked so fast, they fit together so nicely, it was unbelievable for Peter. He was ridiculously happy.

He felt a little drowsy by the time the credits started rolling, the warmth of the body under him and the blanket covering them making him slightly sleepy. It was a nice movie though. Pixar never failed his expectations, and even if it wasn't a brilliant movie, he still enjoyed it a lot, and the animation was great as always, the characters were funny and entertaining. It wasn't Up good, but it was worth the watch nevertheless.

"That was a nice movie. I could relate to the kid, Miguel." Percy smiled, shifting a little to lie on his back, Peter resting his head on his torso.

Peter hummed curiously "How so?"

"Walking among skeletons." Percy grinned "Nico can summon some spooky stuff."

Peter chuckled "That does sound creepy."

"It is creepy. But joke aside, I do find family important as well. You are a part of my family now too, you know." Percy said on a more serious note, tugging a loose strand of curly hair behind Peter's ear.

"You are part of my family too." Peter smiled warmly "But, normally, I don't do this with my family..." he said slowly, crawling on top of Percy to straddle his hips, the blanket falling from his shoulders. Percy's eyes widened, becoming flustered just by the younger boy's position on him. His weight on him, and the way his thighs fit perfectly at the sides of his legs, which evolved into feeling like he was straight up burning when their lips met, long and deep. Peter moaned softly, and it sent shivers down Percy's spine, even so with the way Peter rubbed against him. He kissed Peter back with enthusiasm, maybe even slightly desperately, drunk on the taste of Peter in his mouth. Just by this amount of closeness he was becoming dangerously unfocused, so he flipped them and pinned Peter to the couch instead to have more control, but it was no good either. Peter whined a little startled when his back hit the couch, but continued to cling to him, hands in his hair and legs coming to wrap around his waist to tug him even closer. He loved every second of it, how bold Peter was becoming, but everything was so intense and buzzing, hot and wet, Percy had to pull back before things could get out of hand. His head was swimming and dizzy as it was, nerves tingling.

"Peter." he rasped a little hoarsely. Peter shuddered at the tone and bit his lip. "We have to stop." Percy said, breath ragged and heavy.

"What? Why?" Peter's eyes were unfocused and glossy, expresssion confused.

"Because we are moving too fast."

"We were just kissing, Percy." Peter huffed frustrated, fingers and skin still tingling where he had touched the demigod, and the places he had been touched. He wanted to be touched more.

"True, but I can only endure so much kissing like this." Percy sighed at Peter's offended look, some of the confusion clearing from his mind "I'm sorry Pete, but you are younger than me, and It's not something I don't like about you, it's just that I don't want us to get physical so soon. Your overprotective Iron-dad would probably kill me if he knew what we were doing just now." he smiled a little, stroking Peter's cheek gently with one hand.

Peter pouted disappointed but nodded in understanding "I guess you are right..."

"I need time to...to process this. This is as new to me as it is to you, you know."

"Sorry...I might have gotten a little carried away." Peter muttered apologetically, a little ashamed that he had pushed Percy.

"It's fine. It wasn't that I didn't like it, quite the opposite, actually." Peter once again felt shy under Percy's intense gaze, so dark and bright at the same. He looked like he wanted to devour him, but then his expression shifted to one of adoration. "I like you Peter, I like you a lot more than you probably think, and I don't want this between us to be only about physical needs. I want to be there for you as long as you will let me. I want to be more than your friend. Will you go out with me? Will you be my boyfriend?"

Peter felt like the air had been punched out of his chest, only able to stare dumbly at the demigod hovering over him. Percy's expression was hopeful and scared, so sincere and gentle, but earnest at the same time, it took Peter's breath away completely. Why was he the nervous one? He had nothing to be uncertain about. He was unfairly attractive, strong both in body and soul, kind and considerate, bright and cheerful. The fact that Percy felt like he was free to be volnurable with Peter had the younger boy's heart pound rapidly. He yanked Percy back down by his shirt and kissed him firmly, pouring all his love into one passionate kiss.

"Of course I will." Peter laughed breathlessly when they broke apart "I thought you would never ask." Percy grinned happily, eyes glimmering with joy as he leaned back down to kiss his boyfriend again. His boyfriend! He couldn't believe Peter actually said yes! He smiled against Peter's lips and sighed, body and heart melting.

Peter muffled a yawn with the back of his hand when they finally pulled back, eyes heavy and lidded.

"Are you gonna fall asleep on me now?" Percy teased as Peter yawned again.

"I'm sleepy." he mumbled, fingers absently stroking Percy's neck.

"Well, you can't sleep here. You have to change anyway. Come on." Percy tugged a whining Peter off the couch and dragged him to his bedroom to change. He grabbed a change of clothes for himself too, from the bag they kept there in case Percy stayed over, and waited for Peter to get ready.

"I can crash on the couch if you want." Percy offered when they were both ready to go to bed, though he didn't look forward to that. Having Peter in his arms while sleeping was too good to pass on.

"What? No way!" Peter pouted "Sleeping alone sucks. Please stay?" he begged with big watery eyes. If Percy hadn't favored sleeping next to Peter, those eyes would probably have convinced him anyway. He wondered how anyone could deny Peter anything. Probably with great difficulty.

"Okay. I was just being polite." Percy chuckled, getting in the bed first.

"Polite? That's new." Peter smirked as he followed suit and snuggled close to the demigod.

"Very funny." Percy pulled him tight against his chest and pressed a kiss on his exposed neck, smiling when Peter let out a small breath and squirmed a little "Good night." he whispered wearily. For some reason sharing a bed with the younger boy made him feel more tired and sleep better.

"Good night Perce." he could hear the smile in Peter's voice, and it made his chest warm with fondness. They fell asleep like that, Percy wrapped tightly around Peter, the nightmares avoiding them both, safe under the blanket of their combined bodyheat.

 

It was a little awkward when Peter and Percy broke the news to their families. May still seemed suspicious of Percy, especially with the age difference, but she told them as long as he didn't hurt her nephew, Peter was free to make his own decisions. Though she was adamant about wanting to meet Percy's parents. Sally and Paul were more accepting, even supportive, because they adored Peter and wanted Percy to be happy, and they were more than happy to have May over sometime for dinner.

Telling Tony, well, that was a whole different thing. Percy said he wasn't fazed by the older man, but Peter still hesitated. He saw how Tony acted with the demigod when they were just friends, playing the overprotective dad role, and feared what he might do when he found out that they were a couple now. Percy didn't rush him, bless his heart, and assured him that if it was necessary, he would brief Tony and as many people from the Avengers as necessary about the whole Greek situation if that was what he wanted. Peter kissed him breathless when they had this conversation, and it did help him calm down a little. It was Tony's belief of Percy being a criminal that made him act so rude to the demigod afterall.

"Are you sure you want this though?" Percy asked as they waited for Tony in the Avengers Headquarters' livingroom.

"We may need help. Tony may even be able to help invent something demigods could use to communicate without monsters finding out about it. Wouldn't that be great?"

"It would," Percy agreed "but what if he thinks I'm just crazy and making things up? It's not like I have proof." he said doubiously.

"You have Riptide."

"That doesn't prove that I'm not a terrorist." at least that was what Tony believed he was.

"Well...You could make an IM call and ask Chiron to speak with him?"

"I don't see how a man in a wheelchair could convince him more that I'm not nuts."

"Ask him to take up his centaur form then."

"I don't know if Stark would see him for what he is. I mean, he is a man of science. He might be more cloud minded than most mortals." Percy shook his head.

"Cloud minded, you say?" Tony frowned as he stepped inside the room.

"Mr Stark!" Peter jumped to his feet "Um. I mean, Tony." he corrected himself hastily.

"Hi, Peter. What do I owe you this visit?" his gaze shifted cooly to Percy.

"Hello Mr Stark." Percy greeted him politely.

"Well, I think it would be best if we sat down first." Peter suggested. Tony relucantly but sat with the two of them, looking between the teens from across the coffee table between the two big couches placed in the middle of the room. Once they were comfortable Tony raised an expectant eyebrow.

"Should I start or...?" Percy asked Peter as he worried his lower lip, thinking of a way to introduce all this madness to his mentor.

"You look like you are about to tell me that you are pregnant." Tony frowned. Peter blushed and punched Percy's shoulder when he caught him smirking.

"No, that's not the case." Peter cleared his throat "First of all, It came to my attention that you don't like Percy, let alone trust him."

"That I can't deny." Tony agreed blankly.

"Right. Because you think he is a dangerous person."

"Where is this going? Don't tell me you've joined his criminal gang. There is only so much my heart can take." Tony grimaced as Peter fliched. Percy had a grimace of his own, arm going protectively around the younger boy.

"Let him finish." Percy said drily. He promised Peter that he would be patient with the man, but he could feel the anxiety radiating from him. Tony's comments weren't helping this conversation to go along. Tony glared at him but remained silent.

"What I'm about to tell you, it's quite unbelievable. Even I probably wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it myself. I want you to keep an open mind, okay?" Tony nodded hesitantly, undeniably intrigued and slightly concerned by Peter's behaviour.

"Okay. So, are you familiar with Greek mythology?" Peter decided to slowly ease into the subject.

"Some. Stuff I learned in school." he answered slowly.

"How familiar are you with Greek deities and demigods?"

"I remember some of them, but why is this important? Is this some sort of game?" Peter could tell that Tony was starting to become impatient, but there wasn't exactly a perfect way to describe this while thing to someone.

"No, It's not a game believe me. What I mean to say is, that Greek culture was rich, even richer with stories of heroes and grotesque creatures, gods and godesses. But what if--" Peter wet his lips "What if they weren't just stories? What if after the failure of the Greek and Roman cultures, these deities moved to the more flourishing empires and survived over the years? What if I told you they are real and still present today?" he watched nervously as Tony's face grew grim.

"I would say that you are seriously misinformed. We are talking about fairy tales made up by men from thousands of years ago."

"Asgard was a simple fairy tale up until recently as well." Peter pointed out "And I'm not saying all that's written is true, but a lot of it. Percy is a living proof of it." Tony sharply looked at the demigod, frown only deepening.

"Don't tell me that you have filled Peter's head with these ridiculous ideas." his voice was filled with rage, so much so it made Peter wince. Percy, however, remained calm.

"I wish they were as unreal as you think they are." he smiled sadly. It was a heartbreaking sight for Peter, he huddled closer to him and tucked his head under his chin, even if Tony just glared at them disapprovingly.

"How would YOU be the proof of anything?" Tony crossed his arms.

"I am part of the family Peter was talking about. My father is almost as old as the seas he commands, with all its living beings." Percy explained "I'm partly mortal like you, but there is also a different kind of blood flowing through my veins. I am one of the few children Poseidon has ever wed. I'm a half-blood, or demigod, whichever you prefer."

Tony couldn't decide between laughing and growling in anger and disbelief. Peter looked like he believed every word, he even helped the older teen feed these impossible claims to him.

"Are you taking me for a fool?" Tony decided on anger, and stood hotly.

"I'm taking you for someone who wants to know more. Someone who has the same intentions and goals as me. Someone who has mortal and partly mortal beings' best interest at heart. Peter told me you are a person like that, but I have yet to see it for myself." Percy spoke calmly as ever, which angered Tony even more. How dare he come to HIS home and mock him in front of Peter. The brilliant boy who he came to adore so much, who was now willingly participating in whatever madness he was trying to make Tony believe in. But Percy wasn't finished, not even close.

"Annabeth Chase, the girl you contacted, and the friends of mine you are accusing of domestic terrorism are like me. It is true that we were there two years ago in Manhattan during that attack. I won't deny that we fought and we caused a great deal of damage, but it wasn't to the people we meant to cause harm. We were there to protect them the best we could and prevent even more destruction." Tony's frown loosened and his curiousity overpowered his anger as he listened, slowly easing back into his previous seat on the couch. "We were fighting a very dangerous person at the time. Somebody who twisted minds to his advantage and wanted to see blood and despair. We were children. Troubled children, desperate and at war with a force we couldn't possibly defeat on our own. If it hadn't been for a sacrifice of a very brave young man, all would have been lost, and I wouldn't be here talking to you. I can promise you that." he spoke so solemnly and sincerely, Tony found himself to be conflicted. Why would somebody put so much effort into a story like that? What was he playing at?

Peter could tell that Tony had softened to the idea somewhat "I know this is hard to believe, I do. But please consider the possibility. You gave Thor the benefit of the doubt."

Tony didn't like it, but he couldn't help thinking 'what if'? Peter seemed invested in the whole thing, and while he was young and inexperienced in a lot of things, Tony did trust his judgement.

He knew he was going to regret it, but he sighed heavily and slumped back on the couch "Friday." he called wearily out.

"Yes, Mr Stark?" the AI answered immediately.

"Tell Pepper to have all my appointments cancelled for today." Peter smiled relieved that Tony was willing to listen "This is going to be a long night."

"Of course." Friday answered pleasantly.

"Alright. I want to hear everything. And I mean EVERYTHING."

So Percy told him what he had learned during his first quest, all about the nature of demigods and the prophecies, the quests and battles he had to fight over the years with his friends. He described the gods and godesses he knew about and have met personally as well. And of course he couldn't leave out the Battle of Manhattan either. He explained how Kronos managed to twist Luke into making his plans into reality and how they had to fight his forces head on numerous times. He told him about the people he had lost over the years, the sacrifices made for the war to be won. Tony could tell that Percy didn't feel like it was a victory at all, which made him look way more grown up in his eyes. Percy then told him about Gaia's brain washing method and her attempt at uniting Greeks and Romans against the giants and her monster army. He briefly mentioned his time in Tartarus with Annabeth, very vaguely describing it, for obvious reasons, and the final battle with demigods and gods fighting together. When all was done, Tony could ask questions of his own, and Percy answered them the best he could.

And then came the big question.

"I have to confess, all this is...quite nonsensical, but I'm willing to look past that, because I've seen pretty insane things over the years, and I don't think you were speaking dishonestly just now. Can you show me anything that supports all this you have told me?" Tony was very much leaning towards the possibility that all this information he had been told could be true. But he needed something he could see. Something to justify this madness.

"I can show you my sword." Peter let Percy untangle himself and stand, pulling his ballpoint pen from his jean pocket and walk around the table.

"A pen?" Tony lifted an eyebrow.

"Just watch." Peter told him, so he did.

Percy uncapped the pen, to which it transformed into a sword with a glow, making Tony jump against his seat in alarm.

"Don't worry. It can't harm mortals." Percy reassured him and tilted the blade towards him. Tony tried touching the surface, but his hand simply went through it like smoke.

"Holy..." he muttered, waving his hand through the sword in disbelief.

"Its name is Riptide. It was a gift from my father when I first found out about my heritage." he explained.

"So...you are a son of Poseidon..." Tony still couldn't believe it. But there it was...everything Percy had just explained to him. It dawned on him how much of an asshole he had been towards the teen, with everything he had been through. Starting at the age of merely 12. He pursed his lips and withdrew his hand, standing to look directly at Percy "I have to apologise to you. I shouldn't have assumed--"

Percy turned Riptide back to its pen form and pocketed it, shaking his head "No need to apologise. I wouldn't believe it if I wasn't constantly living it. There are much more pressing matters than that right now."

"There are?" Tony frowned in alarm.

"Yes." Peter stood next to Percy "The reason we wanted to ask for your help is because recently monsters began hunting Percy in groups, even dangering his friend, Annabeth, whom you have talked to already." Tony remembered the girl, hard to forget when somebody reminds him of Natasha so much.

"What could I do?" he asked them determined.

"Remember what Percy had told you about demigods and technology?" Tony nodded "We should develop something that could help them communicate without alerting monsters."

Tony crossed his arms with a thoughtful expression "Yes...I have a few ideas, but they need to be tested."

"I think it would be best if you could come to Camp Half-Blood and meet the director himself." Percy said.

"It can be arranged, if it isn't a problem." Tony nodded "But Steve will want to know about this. Natasha too." he warned.

"I was hoping we could tell everyone. Percy could help, but they would believe it more easily if you helped to convince them." Peter admitted.

"Are you sure you are okay with this?" Tony looked questioningly at the demigod.

"If Peter thinks that's the way to do it, I trust him." he smiled at the boy next to him and slid his arm around his waist. Peter smiled back and ducked his head shyly.

"Okay..." Tony watched them, feeling both a little uncomfortable, and angry at Percy for touching Peter so intimately. He was still protective of the boy, no matter what he believed of the demigod. "Then I'll call everyone together and we can agree on a date." he said, swallowing his protective dad feelings.

"Thank you so much Tony!" Peter startled him by bouncing on him and throwing his arms around his torso.

Tony huffed and smiled, patting his back gently "No problem kid. I told you you could always come to me." Peter beamed brightly when he pulled back from him "Now, I have some preparations to make. I'll call you when I have everything ready." he promised. He said his goodbyes to the couple before he left the room.

"I guess it could have gone much worse." Percy laughed as they left the Avengers Headquarters in his car.

"I guess..." Peter sighed "Still, I'm afraid what the others may think."

"Hey, you have already done all you could and more. It doesn't matter to me what others might say, as long as I have you." Percy said softly. Peter felt his chest warm up at his words and he leaned over to kiss his boyfriend lightly on the lips.

He felt like things might just work out afterall.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!~  
> So I finally managed to type up an update. It's not as long as I would have liked, but I'm hella busy nowadays and happy I got even this far. This is just experimental writing for fun so don't read too much into it.
> 
> To answer a comment on a previous chapter: I've read in the Kane Chronicles crossover short stories that Annabeth had a phone, she just rarely used it, so I thought that if Percy only used his own every once in a while it should be fine. And also, I know in the original story it was a way of isolating half-bloods from technology and whatnot, but it still seemed kind of strange of an idea when I first read about it, I wasn't sure how it would work exactly, in terms of the monsters sensing technology. I accepted it because I wouldn't want the characters to be these annoying social media referencing angsty teens, so It was all fine by me. But here I decided to twist it a little because Peter is not a demigod and he is from a different world.
> 
> Anyway, I'm just rambling here. I hope you enjoyed it somewhat, even though I'm really not good at writing.
> 
> Let me know if you'd like to read more.
> 
> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated as always :3


	10. Chapter 10

"So this is the big day huh?" Ned smirked at Peter as they ate their lunch in the school cafeteria.

"Big day for what?" Michelle asked blankly, flipping down in the seat next to Peter with her usual bored expression.

"N-Nothing?" Peter squaked. She still scared him sometimes. She moved so soundlessly, like a ninja or a ghost.

"Can't be nothing if it's a 'big day', can it?" she made air quotes with her hands and then bit into an apple soundly.

"His boyfriend is taking him on a trip." Ned supplied helpfully with a happy grin. Michelle raised a curious eyebrow while Peter had a mental breakdown, head turning a light shade if red.

"Ned! Why would you tell her that?!"

"What were you going to tell her? She would have found out anyway, one way or another." Ned shrugged and continued to eat his lunch.

"I didn't know you liked guys. Or had a boyfriend. Is there something else you are hiding from me?" her stare reminded him a lot of the look Annabeth had given him and made him gulp.

"N-No. Nothing else. Besides, we only started dating officially a few days ago." Peter lied through his teeth. Being with Ned was much easier in the sense that he knew his secret. He liked Michelle a lot, but he didn't want to share that part of his life with her if possible.

"What's he like? A nerd like you?" she took another bite of her apple, looking mildly interested at best. He liked that she wasn't nosy. But what was Percy like? That was hard to explain.

"He is a swimmer. He is totally cool." Ned answered for him. Peter felt glad, because his mind went completely blank for a few moments and had no idea what to tell her.

"Huh. After your puppy crush on Liz, I never thought you would go for an athlete." she mused thoughtfully. Peter briefly thought of denying his past crush on Liz, but he held his tongue. Michelle wouldn't be fooled by that.

"Well, he is a good person, and he is nice to me." Peter said instead.

She hummed and shrugged "Alright. If you say so. What's this trip anyway?"

"Uh. He is an assistant at a summer camp, and he is going to take me to see it. The kids love him." See? It wasn't a complete lie either. He can be spontanious. Sometimes.

"Wait, how old is he exactly?" Michelle narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"He will be nineteen this summer." Peter shifted in his seat as she continued to look at him with that unreadable expression of hers.

"But he is not pressuring you to do anything, is he?" she frowned.

"No! Of course not! He would never do anything I'm not comfortable with." he promised. She didn't seem entirely convinced, which also proved that she cared for his safety and well being. It was sweet of her, but unnecessary. Still, he didn't want her suspicion make her form wrong assumptions of Percy.

"He is coming to pick me up from in front of the school after our last class. I could introduce you." Peter offered. He didn't want Percy to make such a big deal out of it, but for some reason the demigod was adamant about taking him home personally and go to camp from there. Peter didn't actaully mind, because he couldn't stand public transportation in New York and he loved Percy's car, though he didn't see why Percy wouldn't let it go.

She seemed to consider it for a few moments but finally nodded "Okay." was all she answered before she returned to her food. Ned shrugged and continued to eat as well. They didn't talk about it more and parted ways after lunch, Peter went on with his day as he usually did. He couldn't help but feel nervous the whole day though. Percy was going to drive him home, and then they would go directly to Long Island. He felt definitely less anxious about meeting Percy's friends, but still, he was a mess when it came to meeting new people. He hoped they wouldn't hate him.

He met up with Ned and Michelle after his last class, Chemistry, in the hallway and retrieved some books from his locker. He checked his phone, his heart skipping a beat when he saw that Percy had texted him saying he was already outside.

"Pete? You okay?" Ned nudged his shoulder when he just continued to look at his phone screen. He snapped out of it quickly and nodded with a nervous laugh. Michelle found it strange but didn't say anything. Peter led them across the hall to the main entrance, heart pounding. Why did he feel so worked up? Sure, Percy had never been directly at his school to pick him up, but there was no reason for him to be like this. He had already introduced Ned to him and they even hung out a few times, so what was wrong with him?

When they exited the school, it was quite obvious where Percy was waiting for him. He had his car parked at the front, comfortably leaning against the door with his arms crossed. A shiver ran down Peter's spine when Percy noticed him and a grin stretched over his face slowly. He felt his stomach erupt in butterflies, because yeah. That was his boyfriend, this dashing young man with his wicked troublemaker grin and sparkling green eyes. He could hear some of the exiting students exchange excited whispers about him, and he couldn't help the happy grin he flashed to answer Percy's.

Percy met him halfway and enveloped him in his strong arms without a second thought, pressing a soft kiss in Peter's hair. It was a little embarrassing, with the way some girls squealed and others frowned, but Peter was far too gone to care.

"Hey there stranger. I missed you." Percy said softly when they broke apart.

"I missed you too." Peter answered breathlessly with a smile and moved to stand between him and his friends. Percy greeted Ned with a smile and looked questioningly between Peter and Michelle.

Peter cleared his throat importantly "Percy, this is Michelle Jones, a very good friend of mine." he gestured at her and flushed a little before he gestured at Percy "Michelle, this is my boyfriend, Percy Jackson. I'm sorry I didn't introduce you two sooner."

"It's fine." Percy smiled softly and offered the younger girl his hand "It's nice to meet you."

Michelle slowly but took his hand and shook it briefly "Likewise." she nodded and crossed her arms "So you work with kids, right?" she asked with a tilt of her head.

"Not very small kids, but yeah, mostly." Percy nodded with an easy smile "Some campers are barely older than 11, some are older than 14 and some of them are almost as old as me, if not older. I help the director organise the daily programs and teach some."

"Sounds like a strange camp." she raised an eyebrow. Peter and Ned shared knowing smiles. If only she knew how much.

"Maybe." Percy laughed "But it is a place I consider my second home. Speaking of which," he took Peter's hand gently "Ready to go home? I don't want to rush you, but Long Island is quite a ride away from your house and traffic is crazy today."

"Yeah. Good to go." Peter beamed "I just wanted you two to meet." his chest felt a little lighter. Michelle still looked slightly suspicious, but not disapproving of Percy.

"Hey! Penis Parker!" Peter stiffened a little at the obnoxious voice of one Flash Thompson "That your boyfriend?" he was sitting in an expensive looking car similar to what Peter had destroyed (he was not proud of that), with some students Peter knew to be the ones considered popular. He was grinning like he had said something utterly hilarious, maybe because his friends were laughing so much.

Percy frowned and stood in front of Peter with his arms folded "Yes, I am. If you have a problem with that, go ahead and say it." he wasn't one to start a fight, especially with mortals not worth his time, but there was no way that he was going to let this spoiled brat push his boyfriend around. Peter had told him a lot of the bully, even more when he only knew him as Spiderman, but it was quite clear that he was talking about him. Flash must have sensed that Percy was not someone to mess with, or saw his stormy green eyes and realised that Percy was much stronger than him, because he had the courtesy to blush and shut his friends up hastily.

"N-No. No problem here. I was just asking, uh, out of curiousity." why Flash hadn't driven away, Peter had no idea. Maybe Percy had actually made his hands froze on the wheel. Either way, he seemed more nervous than he had ever seen him.

"Now you know then." Percy nodded darkly "I would appreciate it if in the future you called Peter by his proper name."

"Y-Yeah, sure. I was just joking. A nickname, that's all. Parker knows it. Right Peter?" he looked desperately at the teen.

Peter actually felt pity for him, so he nodded slightly "Sure. No harm done." he said that rather to calm Percy, than to do Flash any favors "Have a good weekend." he added pointedly. Flash got the meaning and got his hands working, pulling sharply away from the school in his car.

"Dude! That was awesome!" Ned grinned, even Michelle managed a small smile.

"Thanks for standing up for me." Peter laid a gentle hand on Percy's tense back, feeling the tightness sip away under his fingers.

"No problem sweetness." Percy smiled a little "I hate bullies, so much."

"I know, but Flash is just like that. I don't think he knows any better." Peter slightly blushed at the nickname, though he found he liked it.

"Still, that's no excuse for harassing others." Percy sighed "But anyway. I think we spent enough of our time on him."

"Agreed. I'll talk to you guys on Monday, alright?" Ned fistbumped Peter and Percy, and Michelle said a polite goodbye before they got in the car, driving in the direction of Peter's apartment.

The radio was playing softly, Percy humming to the tune under his breath. He had a good voice, Peter had noticed before, and often imagined how his singing would sound like. He smiled and looked out the window on his side, and thought back to the scene at the school with Flash. Percy had said he remembered him talking about Flash, but that was months ago. Has he been thinking about that up until now?

"I wonder...did you have any specific reason you wanted to pick me up at school today?" Peter turned to smile knowingly at his boyfriend. He saw Percy's hands stiffen on the wheel and his eyes darting sideways at Peter before settling back on the road.

"No...I was just curious?" sometimes it was funny how bad he was at lying, despite his demigod adventures.

Peter hummed in playful wonder "Were you? So it had nothing to do with Flash very possibly being there."

Percy chewed on his lower lip and released it with a sigh "Okay, fine, it wasn't the only reason. I was hoping to see that kid for myself. I just don't want people to push you around if I can help it. You are too polite to say or do anything to make him truly back off, but I could tell he really bothered you. I'm sorry for making a scene in front of your friends. Are you mad at me?" he turned to fully look at the younger teen when he stopped the Toyota at a red light.

Peter only shook his head amused and slid one hand behind Percy's neck, pulling him forward for a breathtaking kiss. He drew back only far enough to speak against Percy's lips "No, I'm not mad." he stroked his nape gently "Thank you for doing this for me." he said breathlessly and pecked his lips one last time before he let him go completely, satisfied with his blissfully happy expression.

Percy jumped startled when several people behind him honked, the light appearantly turned green already. He swiftly returned to driving and got the vehicle moving again. Peter laughed, but Percy didn't feel embarrassed, because it was so worth it. He felt at ease for the whole ride, reassured that he hadn't overstepped his boundaries, though there was one more thing that concerned him.

"Are you sure you are okay with this though?" he grabbed Peter's hand when they were out on the street.

"With what?" Peter asked with a raised eyebrow.

"The people in your school knowing that we are together. I don't want to expose you to even more bullying. I know how awful high school kids can be." he frowned grimly.

"Well, some people might know now, though I don't think they care that much. I'm not an interesting or popular person to begin with. I'm a geek and a nerd so I can't damage my reputation any further." he tried for cheering the demigod a little, but he didn't seem any more satisfied. Peter sighed and hugged him tightly "It's fine Perce. It really is. I don't care about anyone but May, my friends and you. I've been called a lot of things during my school years and I have never let it affect me before. I promise." he cradled Percy's face in his hands and brought their foreheads together.

Percy's face softened and he smiled a little, huffing out a breath "Okay. I believe you. But I want to know if anybody gives you a hard time. And I mean ANYBODY." Peter nodded and rubbed their noses together, giggling when Percy lifted him from the ground by his waist and spun him around.

They entered the building hand-in-hand and greeted May cheerfully. She felt more warmed up to the idea of her son dating the older demigod, because she really couldn't find anything at fault with him. And Peter looked happier than she had ever seen him, he smiled and laughed so much, which she had missed greatly. As long as Percy treated him right and with respect, she wouldn't butt into their relationship.

She even agreed to this little trip, but only on the condition that Peter had no schoolwork left for the weekend. It wasn't a difficult thing to ask of him, especially because when it came to spending time with his boyfriend, he was willing to do any of his work faster than before. May was surprised to find that Percy not only didn't influence her nephew badly, but motivated him to work harder. Not to mention that it was really hard not to like Percy. He was always polite and very charming, always offering his help whenever he was visiting, which she found rare with teenagers nowadays.

"Hi Aunt May!" "Good afternoon Mr Parker." Percy and Peter greeted her as they entered the small apartment.

"Welcome home Peter, good to see you Percy." she smiled as she finished cleaning the counter in the kitchen and walked out to embrace Peter.

"You look beautiful, Mrs Parker. Are you going somewhere?" May blushed a little at Percy's compliment and smoothed her hands over the dress she was wearing.

"Thank you, Percy, that's kind of you to say. I'm going out with some of my colleagues from work, so I will be away for a few hours."

"You look awesome Aunt May." Peter beamed.

"Thank you sweetie. You boys are spoiling me." she smiled heartily. She grabbed her purse and pressed a tender kiss on Peter's cheek. "Call me when you get there, and tomorrow morning as well. I want to know when you are coming home."

"Will do." Peter smiled.

"Yes ma'am." Percy smiled as well.

"Behave and take care, both of you, and lock up when you go. And have fun sweetie." she added kindly as she opened the door "See you on Sunday."

"Bye Aunt May!"

"I'll take care of him Mrs Parker!" Percy promised as she closed the door behind herself with a smile and small wave of her hand.

"Take care of me?" Peter mused once they were alone in the apartment. He stood in front of Percy to sling his arms around his boyfriend's neck.

"You know what I meant." Percy snorted, hands instinctively moving to rest on Peter's hips.

Peter hummed and nuzzled Percy's jaw "No, please, enlighten me." he smiled and pressed chaste kisses on his neck. Percy sighed and tilted his head down to catch Peter's lips in a slow kiss, arms wrapping themselves around his slender body. Peter stood on his toes and let Percy balance him as they kissed, tongues curling together lazily. It felt so good to be held by someone larger than him, to feel Percy's toned body lined up against him. It always sent a thrill through his body and tingles down his spine. Even so because despite being so strong and fierce, Percy was always so careful and gentle, so loving with him. It always filled him with warmth and butterflies.

Percy pulled away chukling "We won't get anywhere if we just stand around and make out." he had to remind himself just as much as he had to remind Peter.

"Would that be so bad?" Peter complained.

"No, I have to admit." Percy pressed a kiss to his forehead "But we promised to be there."

Peter whined and pouted but let Percy lead him to his bedroom to collect his stuff. He transfered his spidey suit from his schoolbag to his overnight bag and put his laptop there as well. He didn't know if they had computers at Camp Half-Blood, but if Tony managed to solve the monster problem they might need at least one. Though Tony would probably bring some with himself. He said he would arrive in a jet and take some stuff from his lab.

Once they made sure everything was packed and ready they locked Peter's apartment and put his stuff next to Percy's in his blue Toyota.

The ride itself was uneventful, if a little nerve wrecking for Peter. He hadn't realized before how nervous he had been. He had hidden it pretty well before, but now it felt like a butterfly had been let loose in his ribcage.  
What would Percy's friends think of him? Would they think he is just an outsider and loathe him? Would they ignore him? None of these options felt like they could be possible. He knew Percy wouldn't be friends with such people. Still, however improbable his worries might have been, he couldn't help but wonder if they would accept him.

He knew that he was nothing like the kids at Camp Half-Blood. Most of them had lost a huge part of their lives early on, troubled children, as Percy had told him. Some of them had no home and family to go to besides the one at camp. Peter couldn't relate to that. Would they cast him out for being different, for being mortal?

Okay, that seemed the most ridiculous of his silly insecurities. By the things Percy had told him, they would be the last peaople to judge anyone and turn their backs on people based on their ancestry.

Percy must have felt or seen on his face these thoughts, because he reached over with one hand off the wheel and squeezed his hand comfortingly. Peter smiled and squeezed back. He never in million years would have thought that simply touching somebody could be this soothing and comforting, but it was. It calmed the butterfly in his chest a little and eased some of his anxiety.

"Are you okay Peter?" Percy spared him a worried glance as he drove. The roads were pretty packed, maybe there even was a road accident somewhere ahead, judging by the slowness of how they moved along in the columns of cars. The trip to Long Island should have taken about fourty minutes, but they had been on the roads for almost an hour now and they still had distance to cover. The air was getting pretty warm, so they had their windows down to let the air stir and move a little. It didn't do that much good, maybe only make them inhale in more of the polluted air, but it couldn't be helped. Summer was fast approaching and the weather was getting warmer and warmer. Percy had been wearing lighter clothes than most people, thanks to his resistance to heat and cold, now only wearing an orange faded Camp Half-Blood T-shirt, a pair of shorts and sneakers. Peter was dressed similarly, though he had packed something warmer too in case the weather got colder on the way back.

"Y-Yeah..." Peter exhaled a little shakily, drawing circles into Percy's hand "I guess I'm just nervous about meeting your friends..." he bit his lip and looked up at Percy "What if they won't like me at all?" he asked what worried him the most.

Percy smiled softly and squuezed his hand again "That won't happen, trust me. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure every one of them will love you."

Peter shook his head doubtfully "How can you be so sure?"

The blue Toyota came to a halt in the sea of cars, so Percy could turn to look at him fully.  
"Because you are a good person, Peter." he cradled the younger boy's face in his hand gently "If that's the reason you feel like this, it won't matter to them that you are not a demigod. They won't think of you any less or trust you any less. Most of the kids at Camp Half-Blood learn to accept others for what they are at a pretty young age. My friends know more than anyone how it feels to be an outsider, to feel out of place, and like me, I'm sure they wouldn't want others to feel like that if they can help it."

Peter chewed his lower lip as he listened to his boyfriend, unconsciously leaning into his gentle touch. "Remember how you had the same worries over meeting Annabeth? She likes you a lot more than she lets on. I can promise you that. The people at Camp Half-Blood are more accepting than you would think. You'll see." Percy smiled and pressed a soft kiss on Peter's forehead before he let go and returned to driving. His heart melted a little when he felt Peter wrap his amrs around him from the side, his head pressed into Percy's shoulder. It was a bit of an awkward angle, but the gesture warmed him to his toes nonetheless.

"Thank you..." he heard Peter whisper softly. Percy huffed and smiled, chest swollen. Was it possible not to love Peter? He would never know.

"No problem sweetness."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!  
> It's a small update, but even this took me longer than I expected. My days are pretty hectic, so I don't get too many opportunities to write. The next update might take even longer. But anyway, I hope you still enjoyed it. I got some ideas from comments on the previous chapters and incorporated them, hope you liked it. Also, I needed the fluff in my life, please forgive me if you don't like too much fluff.
> 
> Let me know if you'd like to read more, and I'll try my best to move the plot along, even though I don't have much planned out.
> 
> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated as always :>


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